A Vinyl-Boronate Ester-Based Persulfide Donor Controllable by Hydrogen Peroxide, a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

A vinyl boronate ester-based persulfidating agent that is selectively activated by hydrogen peroxide, which is a reactive oxygen species (ROS), and efficiently generated a persulfide by a hitherto unexplored 1,4-O,S-relay mechanism is reported. This donor was found to protect cells from cytotoxicity induced by oxidants, and the major byproduct is cinnamaldehyde, which is widely used in the food industry as an additive.