Unsymmetrical polysulfidation via designed bilateral disulfurating reagents

Sulfur-sulfur motifs widely occur in vital function and drug design, which yearns for polysulfide construction in an efficient manner. However, it is a great challenge to install desired functional groups on both sides of sulfur-sulfur bonds at liberty. Herein, we designed a mesocyclic bilateral disulfurating reagent for sequential assembly and modular installation of polysulfides. Based on S-O bond dissociation energy imparity (mesocyclic compared to linear imparity is at least 5.34 kcal mol⁻¹ higher), diverse types of functional molecules can be bridged via sulfur-sulfur bonds distinctly. With these stable reagents, excellent reactivities with nucleophiles including C, N and S are comprehensively demonstrated, sequentially installing on both sides of sulfur-sulfur motif with various substituents to afford six species of unsymmetrical polysulfides including di-, tri- and even tetra-sulfides. Life-related molecules, natural products and pharmaceuticals can be successively cross-linked with sulfur-sulfur bond. Remarkably, the cyclization of tri- and tetra-peptides affords 15- and 18-membered cyclic disulfide peptides with this reagent, respectively.