Hydrogen Sulfide: A Reagent for pH-Driven Bioinspired 1,2-Diol Mono-deoxygenation and Carbonyl Reduction in Water.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was evaluated for its peculiar sulfur radical species generated at different pHs and was used under photolytical conditions in aqueous medium for the reduction of 1,2-diols to alcohols. The conversion steps of 1,2-cyclopentanediol to cyclopentanol via cyclopentanone were analyzed, and it was proven that the reaction proceeds via a dual catalytic/radical chain mechanism. This approach was successfully adapted to the reduction of a variety of carbonyl compounds using H2S at pH 9 in water. This work opens up the field of environmental friendly synthetic processes using the pH-driven modulation of reactivity of this simple reagent in water.