The Rhodanese Reaction

An Alternate Route to Disulfanido Complexes by Nucleophilic Attack of Thiolates on Ruthenium-Bound Thiosulfonato Ligands

“…The conversion of complex 1 into complex 2 is related to the reaction of organic thiosulfonates RSO 2 SR′ with thiols R′′SH, which is known to yield the disulfides R′SSR′′ along with the release of the sulfinic acid RSO 2 H . More interestingly, this conversion shares some similarities with the reaction catalyzed by rhodanese-like enzymes or thiosulfate reductase, which assist cleavage of the S−S bond of thiosulfate (S 2 O 3 2- ) or thiosulfonate (RSO 2 S − ) anions by a thiolate. The active sites of these enzymes are characterized by an intense electrostatic field generated by basic amino acid residues such as arginines and histidines, which provide a strong anion binding site for the substrate .…”