Visible-light-driven Na₂CO₃-enabled photocatalyst- and metal-free selective thio- and selenosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes

Xuan Lia, Mingyan Chen, Guangwei Xiao, Qiuhao Liang, Gao Chong, Wenjing Fang,Hong Xia,* Haidong Xia*

Green Synthesis and Catalysis, 2026, DOI: 10.1016/j.gresc.2026.03.005.

Recently, the Hai-Dong Xia team from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (School of Carbon Neutrality Future Technology) at Shantou University made new progress in the research field of " Organic photochemical synthesis." The related research findings were published under the title "Visible-light-driven Na₂CO₃-enabled photocatalyst- and metal-free selective thio- and selenosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes" in the top journal "Green Synthesis and Catalysis" (impact factor 7.0) in the field of organic chemistry.

Paper link:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gresc.2026.03.005

English abstract of the paper:

Atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) of alkenes with thiosulfonates is a powerful strategy to construct valuable thioalkylsulfones. However, these methods employ complex catalytic systems, a high loading of rare-earth- or noble-metal-based catalyst, a stoichiometric oxidant or an extra photocatalyst. Herein, we describe a visiblelight-driven Na2CO3-enabled vicinal thio- and selenosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes under photocatalystfree, metal-free, external oxidant-free and mild conditions. This approach features excellent regio- and stereoselectivities, a simple and convenient procedure, broad substrate scope, 100% atom economy, and late-stage functionalization of complex molecules. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the formation of an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex is critical to the success of this transformation.