Direct decarboxylative sulfation via C–O bond formation is an unexplored disconnection strategy for the synthesis of organosulfates, with the potential to overcome the significant limitations of O-sulfonation, which is restricted to hydroxyl-containing compounds. Reported here is a radical process for direct decarboxylative sulfation by persulfates. In this reaction, persulfates serve a dual role: acting as a versatile oxidant to generate carbon-centered radicals in decarboxylation, and providing an O–O source to facilitate the synthesis of organosulfates via C–OSO3− bond formation. This method enables the replacement of diverse carboxylic acids with ionizable organosulfate groups, which could be potential isosteres to improve molecules’ metabolic profiles.
