Benzothiazole Synthesis: Mechanistic Investigation of an In Situ-Generated Photosensitizing Disulfide.

The use of a visible light absorbing intermediate as a photosensitizer makes a chemical process simple and sustainable, obviating the need for the use of chemical additives. Herein, the formation of a photosensitizing disulfide in benzothiazole synthesis from 2-aminothiophenol and aldehydes was proposed and confirmed through in-depth mechanistic studies. A series of photophysical and electrochemical investigations revealed that an in situ-generated disulfide photosensitizes molecular oxygen to generate the key oxidants, singlet oxygen and superoxide anion, for the dehydrogenation step.