Fe-S Catalyst Generated In Situ from Fe(III)- and S3•--Promoted Aerobic Oxidation of Terminal Alkenes.

An iron-sulfur complex formed by the simple mixture of FeCl3 with S3•- generated in situ from K2S is developed and applied to selective aerobic oxidation of terminal alkenes. The reaction was carried out under an atmosphere of O2 (balloon) and could proceed on a gram scale, expanding the application of S3•- in organic synthesis. This study also encourages us to explore the application of an Fe-S catalyst in organic reactions.