Synthesis and Application Dichalcogenides as Radical Reagents with Photochemical Technology

Dichalcogenides (disulfides and diselenides), as reactants for organic transformations, are important and widely used because of their potential to react with nucleophiles, electrophilic reagents, and radical precursors. In recent years, in combination with photochemical technology, the application of dichalcogenides as stable radical reagents has opened up a new route to the synthesis of various sulfur- and selenium-containing compounds. In this paper, synthetic strategies for disulfides and diselenides and their applications with photochemical technology are reviewed: (i) Cyclization of dichalcogenides with alkenes and alkynes; (ii) direct selenylation/sulfuration of C−H/C−C/C−N bonds; (iii) visible-light-enabled seleno- and sulfur-bifunctionalization of alkenes/alkynes; and (iv) Direct construction of the C(sp)–S bond. In addition, the scopes, limitations, and mechanisms of some reactions are also described.