Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of Azoarenes with Dialkyl Disulfides

A catalyst-free cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction of purines and some azoarenes with dialkyl disulfides has been developed. This procedure provided a novel strategy to construct unsymmetrical disulfides through the α-heterocyclic functionalization of symmetrical dialkyl disulfides. The S–S bond was successfully tolerated in this transformation. The mild conditions and the broad scope of azoarenes indicated the potential application of this procedure.