Benzothiazole-Derived Sulfones and Sulfoxides as Reactive Templates for Biothiols and Sulfane Sulfurs

In this work we studied the reactions of benzothiazole sulfones and sulfoxides toward reactive sulfur species. The reaction of thiols with benzothiazole sulfones produces sulfinic acids (RSO2H), which can further react with sulfane sulfurs to form thiosulfonic acids (RSO2SH). This was used to design fluorescent sensors for hydrogen polysulfides. The reaction of thiols with benzothiazole sulfoxides produces sulfenic acids (RSOH), which can undergo fast intramolecular cyclization and be used to design thiol-triggered fluorescent sensors.