Synthesis and characterization of 5,5′-dibromo-2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide and some of its derivatives: X-ray structure of 5,5′-dibromo-2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide and bis(5-bromopyridine-2-ylthio) methane

Synthesis and characterization of 5,5′-dibromo-2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide and some of its derivatives under mild reaction conditions is described. A series of some novel synthetically important symmetrical/unsymmetrical bromo substituted pyridyl alkyl/aryl sulfur compounds have been easily synthesized from a variety of alkyl halides, using NaBH₄ in moderate to good yields. The important features of this protocol are strong base-free, operational simplicity, short reaction time and high yield. The synthesized compounds are characterized with the help of elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectral data (in representative cases). X-ray crystal structure analysis of 5,5′-dibromo-2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide (1) and bis(5-bromopyridine-2-ylthio) methane (2a) have been carried out to establish their molecular structure. Compound (1) and (2a) are monoclinic and crystallizes into P2₁/n and C2/c space group, respectively.