Of sulphines

Thiophenols (or aryl mercaptans) are obtained by more vigorous reduction of sulphonyl chlorides (or of sulphinic acids), for example with zinc and dilute sulphuric acid, and are isolated by steam distillation ... 

As an extension of the reaction of sulphinates with organometallic compounds, the Claisen-type condensation between ketone enolate anions 101 and arenesulphinates may be considered. It was found161,162 that this reaction provides an interesting synthetic approach to a-ketosulphoxides 102 (equation 54 Table 9). 

Due to the presence of a heterocumulene unit, sulphines may be considered as a group of compounds which are able to undergo cycloaddition reactions. Reaction of sulphines with enamines and phosphorus ylides reported by Sheppard217 and Trippett218 and their coworkers may be considered formally as an example of [2 + 2] cycloaddition. In fact, Sheppard and Dickman217 obtained a 1 1 adduct from thiofluorenone S-oxide and 1-morpholinocyclohexene to which they assigned the dipolar sulphoxide structure 168. 

Phenylsulphine prepared in situ from phenylmethanesulphinyl chloride and triethyl-amine reacted with 1 -morpholinocyclohexene to form the addition product 169 having the enamine structure218. A similar experiment with phenylsulphine and 2-pyrrolidinocyclo-hexene gave only 2-phenylmethanesulphinyl cyclohexanone 170. The latter is most probably formed by hydrolysis of the corresponding enamine sulphoxide upon isolation. The reaction of sulphines with enamines is apparently a stepwise process involving the transient formation of the dipolar intermediate 171 which is stabilized by proton transfer, giving the enamine sulphoxide. 

Coulometric measurements demonstrated the formation of the thioether with an electricity consumption of one Faraday per mole. However, the thioether yield was only of the order of 50% and, in addition, the presence of sulphinate ion in the electrolysis solutions was shown by methylation with CH3I, when methyl phenyl sulphone was formed and determined. 

In a set of volumes on sulphur-containing functional groups, the volume on the sulphonium group appeared in 1981 (in two parts). The present volume deals with sulphones and sulphoxides and further volumes, one on derivatives of sulphinic acids and another on derivatives of sulphenic acids, are now in the course of preparation, with a volume on sulphonic acid derivatives planned for the more distant future. 

The Chemistry of Sulphinic Acids, Esters and Derivatives The Chemistry of Sulphenic Acids, Esters and Derivatives... 

Base-induced elimination of sulphinate from homoallylic sulphones , from y-ketosulphones , and from 1,2-bissulphones has been used in synthetic sequences ranging from the preparation of retinoic acid and of its methyl ester , to a novel pentannulation sequence that leads to a range of cross-conjugated dienes , as exemplified by equation (69). The overall yield for the two steps was 63%. 

For books, see (a) S. Patai (ed), The Chemistry of Sulphinic Acids, Esters and their Derivatives, Wiley, Chichester, 1990 (b) D.H. Reid, Organic Compounds of Sulfur, Selenium, and Tellurium, vol 2, The Chemical Society Burlington House, London, 1973. 

Backvall and Juntunen and Fuchs and Braish have developed ( )-2-phenylsuphonyl-1,3-dienes prepared under Julia conditions as versatile synthones for a variety of organic transformations103. These dienes undergo facile Diels-Alder reaction and subsequent 1,4-elimination of sulphinic acid by base to generate a new diene (equation 62)103a. An elegant extension of this method is to use chiral sulfinylmaleate which, on Diels-Alder... 

Allyl sulphones can be converted to dienes by alkylation and elimination of sulphinic acid under basic conditions (equation 64)105. Several vitamin A related polyenes have been synthesized following this two-step protocol (Table 10)106. The poor leaving-group ability of the arylsulphonyl group requires treatment with strong base for elimination. However, elimination of the allylsulphonyl group takes place readily under palladium catalysis (equation 65)107. Vinyl sulphones can be converted to dienes via Michael addition, alkylation with allyl halides and elimination of sulphinic acid sequence (equation 66)108. 

The chemistry of sulphinic acids, esters and their derivatives The chemistry of sulphenic acids and their derivatives The chemistry of enols... 

The effect of sulphinic acid, a likely impurity from the usual preparation, in increasing sensitivity to detonation and decomposition has been studied [6]. 

Retinol Derivatives. Aryl sulphones have been used in two new syntheses in the vitamin A series. Reaction of /8-cyclocitryl phenyl sulphone (102) with the bromo-compound (103) gives the intermediate sulphone (104), which on base-catalysed elimination affords methyl retinoate (98). Alternatively retinol (99) has been prepared in high yield by condensation of the C15 bromide (105) with the C5 hydroxy-sulphone (106), followed by elimination of sulphinic acid. The syntheses... 

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