Exploring the Reactivity of Electrophilic Organic Carbonates and Thiocarbonates as Vehicles to Convert Hydrosulfide into COS and CS2

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and other reactive sulfur species are important small molecules with biological significance. In addition to common reactive sulfur species like H₂S, polysulfides, and persulfides, both carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS₂) have been postulated to be potential sources of reduced sulfur. To better understand this possible connection, we demonstrate that H₂S can be converted to COS and CS₂ by reaction with simple organic carbonate and thiocarbonate electrophiles, respectively.