Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper details a Flinders University–led collaboration with researchers in Australia and the UK, including Justin Chalker, Michelle Coote, Zhongfan Jia and Tom Hasell.
- In certain polar aprotic solvents, organic trisulfides undergo spontaneous partner exchange at room temperature, often reaching equilibrium within seconds.
- The reaction proceeds cleanly without heat, light or additional reagents and displays unusually high reaction rates and selectivity.
- The team demonstrated selective modification of the anti-tumor compound calicheamicin and rapid synthesis of drug-relevant compound libraries.
- Trisulfide-linked polymers, including polyethylene analogs, were made and then depolymerized back to their building blocks, with researchers planning to extend the approach to more recyclable plastics, rubber, foams and fibers.