Reductive Cleavage of Sulfur-Sulfur Bonds with Sodium Hydrogen Telluride

Abstract Sodium hydrogen telluride is shown to be an effective reagent for reduction of alkyl, aryl and functionally substituted disulfides to thiols in good yield under mild conditions. Organic thiosulfites (Bunte salts) also give thiols through the corresponding disulfide on reaction with sodium hydrogen telluride.