Sulfonium

Similar to oxonium ions, our studies of sulfonium ions also showed protosolvolytic activation in superacids to give sulfur superelectrophiles. The parent sulfonium ion (HjS ), for example, gives H4S (diprotonated hydrogen sulfide) in superacids. 

Various sulfonium and carbosulfonium ions show remarkably enhanced reactivity upon superelectrophilic activation, similar to their oxygen analogs so do selenonium and telluronium ions. The alkylating ability of their trialkyl salts, for example, is greatly increased by protosolvation. 

Sulfur ylides contain a carbanion, which is stabilizea oy an adjacent positively-charged sulfur. Ylides derived from alkylsulfonium salts are usually generated and utilized at low temperatures. Oxosulfonium ylides are, however, stable near room temperature. The most common method of ylide formation is deprotonation of a sulfonium salt. What has been said... 

Two efficient syntheses of strained cyclophanes indicate the synthetic potential of allyl or benzyl sulfide intermediates, in which the combined nucleophilicity and redox activity of the sulfur atom can be used. The dibenzylic sulfides from xylylene dihalides and -dithiols can be methylated with dimethoxycarbenium tetrafiuoroborate (H. Meerwein, 1960 R.F. Borch, 1968, 1969 from trimethyl orthoformate and BFj, 3 4). The sulfonium salts are deprotonated and rearrange to methyl sulfides (Stevens rearrangement). Repeated methylation and Hofmann elimination yields double bonds (R.H. Mitchell, 1974). 

It is also possible to convert carbonyl groups into oxirane rings with cenain carbenoid synthons. The classical Darzens reaction, which involves addition of anions of a-chloroacetic esters, has been replaced by the addition of sulfonium ylides (R. Sowada, 1971 C.R. Johnson, 1979). 

Sulfonium ylides may be added to C N double bonds to yield aziridines in a formal [1 -t-2]-cycloaddition. Alkyl azides are decomposed upon heating or irradiating to yield ni-trenes, which may also undergo [ 1 + 2 -cycloaddition reactions to yield highly strained hetero-cycles (A.G. Hortmann, 1972). 

Thioglycosides can be activated for gfycosylation reactions with sulfur electrophiles, e.g., with dimethyl(methylthio)sulfonium triflate or with methanesulfenyi bromide and silver(l +) to form reactive sulfonium intermediates (F. Dasgupta, 1988). 

Allylic amine is a less reactive leaving group[7], but the allylic ammonium salts 214 (quaternary ammonium salts) can be used for allylalion(l30,131]. Allylic sulfonium salts are also used for the allylation[130]. The allylic nitrile in the cyclic aminonitrile 215 can be displaced probably via x-allylic complex formation. The possibility of the formation of the dihydropyridinium salts 216 and subsequent conjugate addition are less likelyfl 32],... 

TASF tris(diethylamino)sulfonium difluoro(trimethyl)silicate... 

Sulfur IS more nucleophilic than oxygen (Section 8 7) and sulfides react with alkyl halides much faster than do ethers The products of these reactions called sulfonium salts, are also more stable than the corresponding oxygen analogs... 

A naturally occurring sulfonium salt S adenosylmethionme (SAM) is a key sub stance in certain biological processes It is formed by a nucleophilic substitution m which the sulfur atom of methionine attacks the primary carbon of adenosine triphosphate dis placing the triphosphate leaving group as shown m Figure 16 7... 

Section 16 17 Sulfides react with alkyl halides to give sulfonium salts... 

CH3SCH3 + CH3(CH2)ioCH2l will yield the same sulfonium salt This combination is not as effective as CH3I + CH3(CH2)ioCH2SCH3 because the reaction mechanism is 8 2 and CH3I... 

Sulfonium Compounds. Sulfonium compounds of the type R R R S X are named by citing in alphabetical order the radical names followed by -sulfonium and the name of the anion. For heterocyclic compounds, -ium is added to the name of the ring system. Replacement of > CH by sulfonium sulfur is denoted by the prefix thionia-, and the name of the anion is added at the end. 

Fig. 20. Proposed photochemical mechanisms for the generation of acid from sulfonium salt photolysis. Shown ate examples illustrating photon absorption by the onium salt (direct irradiation) as well as electron transfer sensitization, initiated by irradiation of an aromatic hydrocarbon.

Cocatalysts of two types occur (/) proton-donor substances, such as hydroxy compounds and proton acids, and (2) cation-forming substances (other than proton), including alkyl and acyl haUdes which form carbocations and other donor substances leading to oxonium, sulfonium, halonium, etc, complexes. 

The reaction of thioethers with ethyleneimine in the presence of acid yields sulfonium compounds. The reaction is reversible under alkaline conditions (125). Compounds in which double-bonded sulfur can exist in tautomerism with a form having a free SH group, such as thiourea (126,127), thiocarboxyhc acids (128), and thiophosphates (129), react to give aminoaLkylated products. The P-aminoethyl thiocarboxylate rearranges to give the amide. 

Protonic initiation is also the end result of a large number of other initiating systems. Strong acids are generated in situ by a variety of different chemistries (6). These include initiation by carbenium ions, eg, trityl or diazonium salts (151) by an electric current in the presence of a quartenary ammonium salt (152) by halonium, triaryl sulfonium, and triaryl selenonium salts with uv irradiation (153—155) by mercuric perchlorate, nitrosyl hexafluorophosphate, or nitryl hexafluorophosphate (156) and by interaction of free radicals with certain metal salts (157). Reports of "new" initiating systems are often the result of such secondary reactions. Other reports suggest standard polymerization processes with perhaps novel anions. These latter include (Tf)4Al (158) heteropoly acids, eg, tungstophosphate anion (159,160) transition-metal-based systems, eg, Pt (161) or rare earths (162) and numerous systems based on tri flic acid (158,163—166). Coordination polymerization of THF may be in a different class (167). 

Fig. 9. Initiation of epoxy cure. Irradiation of a triaryl sulfonium salt produces a radical cation that reacts with an organic substrate RH to produce a cation capable of releasing a proton. The proton initiates ring-opening polymerization. X = BF , PFg, AsFg, and SgFg. ...

Quaternary ammonium alkyl ethers are prepared similarly an alkaline starch is reacted with a quaternary ammonium salt containing a 3-chloto-2-hydtoxyptopyl or 2,3-epoxyptopyl radical. Alternatively, such derivatives can be prepared by simple quaternization of tertiary aminoalkyl ethers by reaction with methyl iodide. Sulfonium (107) and phosphonium (108) starch salts have also been prepared and investigated. Further work has explained the synthesis of diethyl aminoethyl starch (109) as well as the production of cationic starches from the reaction of alkaline starch with... 

In the alcohol oxidations, the sulfonium intermediate (2, nucleophile = R2C(OH)) loses a proton and dimethyl sulfide to give the carbonyl compound (42). The most common mechanism for the decomposition of (2) is attack by a mild base to remove a proton from one of the methyl groups. Subsequent cycHc coUapse leads to the carbonyl compound and dimethyl sulfide (eq. 9) ... 

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