Sulfones from aryl halides

The Grignard reagents used in the reaction may be either those derived from aryl halides or those formed from alkyl halides. Phenyllithium reacted with the tosylate to give sulfones rather than azoxy compounds. 

Apart from aryl halides, other very easily available substrates for nickel-catalysed biaryl (II) synthesis are aryl sulfonates (XII). Method D is very efficient in the homocoupling reactions of substituted aryl sulfonates in good to excellent yields [15], Table 6. Substituted aryl sulfonates are readily obtained from phenols and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, benzenesulfonyl-, tosyl- or methanesulfonyl chloride in pyridine, or in a suitable inert solvent such as dichloromethane in the presence of triethylamine or Hiinig s base. Among other nickel complexes, Ni(dppe)Cl2 and Ni(dppf)Cl2 have been used (10 mo1%) as slightly less versatile catalysts for the homo-couplings of naphthyl sulfonates in refluxing THF, DMF or their mixtures [42]. 

Cobalt has attracted attention in recent years as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to palladium or nickel. As indicated earlier, functionalized arylzinc reagents can be prepared from aryl halides and sulfonates by zinc insertion in the presence of catalytic amounts of CoBtj [50, 51, 210). Interestingly, the presence of this cobalt salt suffices to catalyze in situ the cross-coupling of the arylzincs thus produced with aryl, alkyl, and heteroaryl electrophiles such as organic halides [211-214] or thioethers, as exemplified with the formation of 286 [214] (Scheme 4.63). 

Protection of amino groups as azo compounds Sym. diaryls from aryl halides Replacement of sulfonic acid groups by hydrogen and partial replacement by hydroxyl... 

Preparation from Aryl Halides and Sulfonates by Cross-coupling... 

Radical-mediated silyldesulfonylation of various vinyl and (a-fluoro)vinyl sulfones 21 with (TMSlsSiH (Reaction 25) provide access to vinyl and (a-fluoro)vinyl silanes 22. These reactions presumably occur via a radical addition of (TMSlsSi radical followed by /)-scission with the ejection of PhS02 radical. Hydrogen abstraction from (TMSlsSiH by PhS02 radical completes the cycle of these chain reactions. Such silyldesulfonylation provides a flexible alternative to the hydrosilylation of alkynes with (TMSlsSiH (see below). On oxidative treatment with hydrogen peroxide in basic aqueous solution, compound 22 undergoes Pd-catalyzed cross-couplings with aryl halides. 

Several microwave-assisted protocols for soluble polymer-supported syntheses have been described. Among the first examples of so-called liquid-phase synthesis were aqueous Suzuki couplings. Schotten and coworkers presented the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-bound aryl halides and sulfonates in these palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings [70]. The authors demonstrated that no additional phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) is needed when the PEG-bound electrophiles are coupled with appropriate aryl boronic acids. The polymer-bound substrates were coupled with 1.2 equivalents of the boronic acids in water under short-term microwave irradiation in sealed vessels in a domestic microwave oven (Scheme 7.62). Work-up involved precipitation of the polymer-bound biaryl from a suitable organic solvent with diethyl ether. Water and insoluble impurities need to be removed prior to precipitation in order to achieve high recoveries of the products. 

The versatile Ti(II) chemistry available using preformed (alkene)Ti(OiPr)2 species was opened up by the discovery of the Kulinkovich cyclopropanation reaction [55]. Since 1995, Sato and collaborators have developed a wide range of elegant and synthetically useful reactions based on the Ti(OiPr)4/iPrMgCl reagent [56]. In particular, it was reported that the Ti(II) complex (q2-propene)Ti(OiPr)2, preformed from Ti(OiPr)4 and 2 equivalents of iPrMgCl, reacts with allylic compounds, such as halide, acetate, carbonate, phosphate, sulfonate, and aryl ether derivatives, to afford allyltitanium compounds as depicted in Scheme 13.27 [57]. 

The at complex from DIB AH and butyllithium is a selective reducing agent.16 It is used tor the 1,2-reduction of acyclic and cyclic enones. Esters and lactones are reduced at room temperature to alcohols, and at -78 C to alcohols and aldehydes. Acid chlorides are rapidly reduced with excess reagent at -78 C to alcohols, but a mixture of alcohols, aldehydes, and acid chlorides results from use of an equimolar amount of reagent at -78 C. Acid anhydrides are reduced at -78 C to alcohols and carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids and both primary and secondary amides are inert at room temperature, whereas tertiary amides (as in the present case) are reduced between 0 C and room temperature to aldehydes. The at complex rapidly reduces primary alkyl, benzylic, and allylic bromides, while tertiary alkyl and aryl halides are inert. Epoxides are reduced exclusively to the more highly substituted alcohols. Disulfides lead to thiols, but both sulfoxides and sulfones are inert. Moreover, this at complex from DIBAH and butyllithium is able to reduce ketones selectively in the presence of esters. 

John Hartwig, from Yale, is not only one of the very leaders of the new generation in or-ganometallic chemistry, but also possibly the best presently known expert in the synthetic and mechanistic aspects of palladium-catalyzed coupling of aryl halides with nucleophiles. His chapter (No. 4) covers the broad area of palladium-catalyzed animation of aryl halides and sulfonates. 

SECTION 140 Halides and Sulfonates from Alkyls, Methylenes, and Aryls... 

The coupling of amides and aryl halides or sulfonates is a highly desirable transformation since amides are ubiquitous in biologically active compounds. The arylation of amides however, is considerably different from the analogous reactions of amines since their pKas, and thus their relative reactivities, are considerably different. 

Salts of sulfinic acids ace converted to sulfones by the action of pri-lary/ secondary, and benzyl halides, alkyl sulfates, and aryl halides in which the halogen atoms are activated by nitro groups in the ortbo or para positions. The reaction fails with t-amyl halide. The yields vary widely, depending upon the nature of the reactants. From salts of benzenesulfinic acid and simple alkylating agents, sulfones are produced in 50-90% yields. Satisfactory results have been obtained when the aryl sulfinic acid contains nitro, cyano, and acetamido groups. Keto sulfones are made in 48-62% yields by alkylation with a-halo ketones. ... 

Tosylates and other sulfonates and sulfates couple with Grignard reagents, most often those prepared from aryl or benzylic halides.Alkyl sulfates and sulfonates generally make better substrates in reactions with Grignard reagents than the corresponding halides (10-57). The method is useful for primary and secondary R. 

Aryl sulfones have been prepared from sulfinic acid salts, aryl iodides and Formation of thiocyanates from unactivated aryl halides has been accomplished with charcoal supported copper(l) thiocyanate. " The copper catalyzed reaction of Na02SMe and aryl iodides give the aryl methyl sulfone. " A similar synthesis of diaryl sulfones has been reported using a palladium catalyst. " ... 

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