Chromium(III) and indium(III) 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-semiquinolate complexes as redox mediators of hydrogen sulfide oxidation in reactions with cycloalkanes

The electrochemical oxidation of the chromium(III) and indium(III) complexes with 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-semiquinolate leading to the formation of active monocationic species is studied by cyclic voltammetry. The reactions of the latter with hydrogen sulfide generate the radical cation of H2S, whose fragmentation affords the proton and thiyl radical. These complexes are proposed for the first time as redox mediators for the one-pot thiolation of inert cycloalkanes C6–C8, which decreases the activation energy of hydrogen sulfide compared to that for direct electrochemical oxidation. The major products of cycloalkane functionalization involving H2S are thiols and organic di- and trisulfides. The yield of the synthesized compounds depends on the type of the mediator: the chromium(III) complex exhibits the highest efficiency in the electrocatalytic transformations.