Nickel-Catalyzed Electroreductive Sulfuration of Alkyl Alcohols with Pyridyl Thioesters

We demonstrate here an efficient and facile Ni-catalyzed electrochemical cross-electrophile thiolation approach for readily available alkyl alcohols with pyridyl thioesters. This C(sp³)-S bond-forming modular strategy displays extensive substrate adaptability and good functional group tolerance, which allows the production of a range of alkyl sulfides with specific chemoselectivity. Furthermore, the potential applications of this methodology are illustrated by last-stage modification of bioactive molecules and sulfinylative cross-couplings. Preliminary mechanistic experiments support a radical process.