B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 -Catalyzed Electron Donor–Acceptor Complex-Mediated Aerobic Sulfenylation of Indoles under Visible-Light Conditions

An efficient B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 -catalyzed aerobic oxidative C–S cross-coupling reaction of thiophenol with indoles was developed, affording a wide range of diaryl sulfides in good yields. An electron donor–acceptor complex between B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 and indoles was formed, facilitating the photoinduced single-electron transfer (SET) from indole substrates to the B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 catalyst. This protocol demonstrates a new reaction model using B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 as a single-electron oxidant.