Cobalt-catalyzed dithiolation of unactivated alkenes with thiols: facile access to diverse vicinal dithioethers

Direct dithiolation of alkenes with thiols has been rarely reported. Herein, a simple cobalt-catalyzed aerobic approach has been developed to realize this transformation. With the aid of HFIP, diverse vicinal dithioethers including symmetric and unsymmetric ones could be obtained from readily available substrates. Gram-scale synthesis and late-stage modification of complex molecules highlight the practicability of this approach.