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Alan Cooper

Can thiols be created using a Grignard reagent?

Anbuselvan Sellamuthu   Follow

I've done this with aromatic Grignards, but I have no reference and no database access any longer.

I think when I did it, I was relying on an older colleague's instructions. It was pretty much generate your Grignard from ArBr + Mg in THF, cool in ice bath, stir vigorously and add elemental sulfur. You may need to introduce a reductive step as you can generate polysulfides.

Grignards will also add to disulfides so you could react with dibenzyl disulfide then reduce off the benzyl group.

This reference is the nearest that Google has managed to find Can. J. Chem. 70 (1992) 30

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H?kon Hapnes Strand  Follow
Thank you this is very helpful, definitely will be doing some tests soon.More
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Jennifer Love Johnson  Follow
A borohydride work-up step should minimise polysulfide formationMore
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