Smelless/Stable/Sustainable Sulfur Chemistry

Sulfur, with diverse valence states ranging from −2 to +6, endows sulfur-containing compounds with unique physicochemical properties, enabling multiple applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, organic materials, natural products, and various fields. However, sulfur chemistry faces great obstacles: (1) most sulfur molecules emit inherent unbearable odors; (2) the lone pair of electrons readily poisons metals and deactivates catalysts; (3) controllable construction of polysulfide with atom economy problems; and (4) controllable accession of hypervalent sulfide with redox economy issues. These challenges have been conquered innovatively by the transferring of inorganic sulfur to organic sulfur concept, in which the mask effect and same oxidation-state introduction strategies were developed. The established smelless/stable/sustainable sulfur chemistry paves the way in shaping human civilization and modern industry. This review is organized according to the diverse functionality of the sulfur-containing molecules and the corresponding synthetic method, aiming to describe how organic sulfur chemistry provides a driving force towards some of the most significant changes in the world.