Process for the preparation of dithiazolyl disulfides

Claim 1

In a process for the preparation of dithiazolyl-( 2,2')-disulfides of the formula ##STR4## wherein R and R' may be the same or different, and represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl or alkoxy radical with 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl or aryl radical with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, wherein said alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl or aryl radical are substituted with at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a nitro group, a hydroxyl group, and an alkyl or alkoxy radical with 1 to 5 carbon atoms; or R an R' jointly may form the radical ##STR5## whereby R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 may be the same or different and have the same meaning as R and R', by means of the catalytic oxidation of a 2-mercaptothiazole of the formula ##STR6## in which R and R' are as set forth above, by means of oxygen or an oxygen containing gas, the improvement consisting essentially of reacting said 2-mercaptothiazole in the presence of a catalytic amount of ammonia and a solvent at temperatures in the range from 0° to 150° C.