Visible-Light-Promoted Thiolation of Benzyl Chlorides with Thiosulfonates via a Photoactive Electron Donor–Acceptor Complex

Visible-light-promoted thiolation of benzyl chlorides with thiosulfonates is disclosed via an electron donor–acceptor complex strategy. In addition to efficiently delivering a series of arylbenzylsulfide compounds, versatile thioglycosides were also successfully constructed by applying the metal- and photocatalyst-free protocol. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that a radical–radical coupling process was involved in this transformation.