Recent Advances in Visible-Light-Catalyzed C-C Bonds and C-Heteroatom Bonds Formation Using Sulfonium Salts

Sulfonium salts are one of the most important class of organosulfur (IV) compounds which have a positive charge on the sulfur center with three C-S bonds. Because of their bench-stable, easy synthesis, broad structural diversity, and rich reactivity, sulfonium salts are playing a significant role in synthetic chemistry. In recent years, visible-light promoted photoredox catalysis is rapidly developing into a powerful tool for organic synthesis. In this paper, the recent advances of different sulfonium salts in the radical type reactions induced by visible light are summarized. The formation reactions of C-C bond and C-X (X=B, N, O, S, Se, Te, F, Cl, I) bonds are introduced, and the applicable scope and mechanism of some reactions are also discussed.