With a working understanding of the scope and mechanism of this unusual trisulfide metathesis reaction, it was next applied to several high value applications that take advantage of its selectivity, high rate, and reversibility. The thiosulfoxide is proposed to be a reactive intermediate that can be formed in polar solvents. Pathway A illustrates a proposal for a 6-member ring transition state that generates one thiosulfoxide and one linear trisulfide. In pathway A, the newly generated thiosulfoxide can react with another linear trisulfide, propagating a chain reaction. Pathway B illustrates a proposal for a 5member ring transition state in the S-S metathesis step, generating two linear trisulfides. Neither pathway in this proposal invokes radical or ionic intermediates and accounts for the exclusive formation of trisulfides, rather than disulfides or tetrasulfides.