Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41826675›Full record

ArticleNature chemistry2026

Spontaneous trisulfide metathesis in polar aprotic solvents.

Harshal D Patel, Alfrets D Tikoalu, James N Smith, Zhipeng Pei, Samuel J Tonkin, Ryan Shapter, Peiyao Yan, Steven Tsoukatos, Witold M Bloch, Martin R Johnston and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Harshal D Patel *College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1900-0505
Alfrets D Tikoalu *College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4881-800X
James N Smith *College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
Zhipeng Pei *College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5628-7627
Samuel J TonkinCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
Ryan ShapterCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
Peiyao YanDepartment of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7377-1808
Steven TsoukatosCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
Witold M BlochCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1084-1287
Martin R JohnstonCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4341-4396
Jeffrey R HarmerCentre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Christopher T GibsonFlinders Microscopy and Microanalysis, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3334-5059
Michael V PerkinsCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1706-2315
Tom HasellDepartment of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4736-0604
Michelle L CooteCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia. michelle.coote@flinders.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0828-7053
Zhongfan JiaCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia. zhongfan.jia@flinders.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9690-7288
Justin M ChalkerCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia. justin.chalker@flinders.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7504-5508

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sulfur-sulfur bonds are ubiquitous across broad classes of natural products, peptides and proteins, drug molecules, and synthetic polymers and materials. The ability to make and break these bonds in a controlled manner is critical for their many scientific and technological applications. Here we report the discovery of an unusual S-S metathesis reaction of organic trisulfides. When exposed to certain polar aprotic solvents, trisulfides were found to undergo spontaneous metathesis, with the reaction equilibrium established in seconds in some cases. No exogenous reagents, heat, light or other stimuli were required to provoke this reaction. Furthermore, the trisulfide metathesis process can occur both inter- and intramolecularly. Understanding the scope and mechanism of this reaction enabled diverse applications of this chemistry in dynamic combinatorial library synthesis, the covalent modification of complex natural products, and S-S metathesis polymerization and depolymerization as a platform for chemically recyclable plastics.

Identifiers

PMID41826675

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.