Thiirane reactions

Subsequently, Banks and White reported a gas-phase study of the reactions of thiiranes with ammonia and secondary amines <2001JOG5981>. B3LYP/6-31- -G(d) and HF/6-31G(d) computations and transition-state theory were used, and the reactivity of a thiirane with a secondary amine was ascribed to the net effect of steric hindrance and polarizability. 2-Fluorothiirane was calculated to react with ammonia more than 10 times as fast as thiirane. Reaction at C-2 was calculated to be slower by a factor of 2.4 x 10 than reaction at C-1. 2-Methylthiirane reacts more slowly than thiirane and the regioselectivity in favor of C-1 was 12.8. In 2,2-dimethylthiirane, the analogous regioselectivity rose to 124. 

Reactions.—Desulphurization of thiirans to alkenes remains an important strategy for the preparation of hindered alkenes, e.g. (14), and is the most typical thiiran reaction. Phosphines and phosphites are the reagents that are most often used. Lithium reagents desulphurize rra s-2,3-diphenylthiiran to ( )-stilbene, while the ds-isomer is converted into a 1 1 mixture of (Z)-stilbene and the two isomers of tr-mercaptostilbene. 2-Phenylthiiran is desulphurized by cf-metallated isocyanides. Thermal extrusions of sulphur include the conversion of (15) into (16), amongst others. Desulphurizations using zinc and acetic acid, molybdenum or palladium complexes, and the oxaziridine (17) have been reported. 

The problem of the synthesis of highly substituted olefins from ketones according to this principle was solved by D.H.R. Barton. The ketones are first connected to azines by hydrazine and secondly treated with hydrogen sulfide to yield 1,3,4-thiadiazolidines. In this heterocycle the substituents of the prospective olefin are too far from each other to produce problems. Mild oxidation of the hydrazine nitrogens produces d -l,3,4-thiadiazolines. The decisive step of carbon-carbon bond formation is achieved in a thermal reaction a nitrogen molecule is cleaved off and the biradical formed recombines immediately since its two reactive centers are hold together by the sulfur atom. The thiirane (episulfide) can be finally desulfurized by phosphines or phosphites, and the desired olefin is formed. With very large substituents the 1,3,4-thiadiazolidines do not form with hydrazine. In such cases, however, direct thiadiazoline formation from thiones and diazo compounds is often possible, or a thermal reaction between alkylideneazinophosphoranes and thiones may be successful (D.H.R. Barton, 1972, 1974, 1975). 

Thiirane 1,1-dioxides extrude sulfur dioxide readily (70S393) at temperatures usually in the range 50-100 °C, although some, such as c/s-2,3-diphenylthiirane 1,1-dioxide or 2-p-nitrophenylthiirane 1,1-dioxide, lose sulfur dioxide at room temperature. The extrusion is usually stereospeciflc (Scheme 10) and a concerted, non-linear chelotropic expulsion of sulfur dioxide or a singlet diradical mechanism in which loss of sulfur dioxide occurs faster than bond rotation may be involved. The latter mechanism is likely for episulfones with substituents which can stabilize the intermediate diradical. The Ramberg-Backlund reaction (B-77MI50600) in which a-halosulfones are converted to alkenes in the presence of base, involves formation of an episulfone from which sulfur dioxide is removed either thermally or by base (Scheme 11). A similar conversion of a,a -dihalosulfones to alkenes is effected by triphenylphosphine. Thermolysis of a-thiolactone (5) results in loss of carbon monoxide rather than sulfur (Scheme 12). 

JOC1537). The mechanisms of these transformations may involve homolytic or heterolytic C —S bond fission. A sulfur-walk mechanism has been proposed to account for isomerization or automerization of Dewar thiophenes and their 5-oxides e.g. 31 in Scheme 17) (76JA4325). Calculations show that a symmetrical pyramidal intermediate with the sulfur atom centered over the plane of the four carbon atoms is unlikely <79JOU140l). Reactions which may be mechanistically similar to that shown in Scheme 18 are the thermal isomerization of thiirane (32 Scheme 19) (70CB949) and the rearrangement of (6) to a benzothio-phene (80JOC4366). 

Acids are poor catalysts for ring cleavage of thiirane 1,1-dioxides but are good catalysts for reactions of thiirane 1-oxides with nucleophiles. These reactions of episulfoxides are believed to proceed by protonation of the oxygen atom (but see the NMR evidence cited above for 5-protonation in fluorosulfonic acid) and will be treated in the section on nucleophilic reactions. 

The most important reaction with Lewis acids such as boron trifluoride etherate is polymerization (Scheme 30) (72MI50601). Other Lewis acids have been used SnCL, Bu 2A1C1, Bu sAl, Et2Zn, SO3, PFs, TiCU, AICI3, Pd(II) and Pt(II) salts. Trialkylaluminum, dialkylzinc and other alkyl metal initiators may partially hydrolyze to catalyze the polymerization by an anionic mechanism rather than the cationic one illustrated in Scheme 30. Cyclic dimers and trimers are often products of cationic polymerization reactions, and desulfurization of the monomer may occur. Polymerization of optically active thiiranes yields optically active polymers (75MI50600). 

Phosgene reacts exothermically with thiirane in two steps (Scheme 36) (77MI50602). 3,5-Dinitrobenzoyl chloride and benzoyl fluoride initiate polymerization of thiirane. A novel reaction of benzoyl isocyanate or trichloroacetyl isocyanate, which yields ethylenethiol derivatives from epithiochlorohydrin (2-chloromethylthiirane), 2-methylthiirane or cyclohexene episulfide, has been reported (Scheme 37) (71BAU2432). 

Chlorination of thiiranes in hydroxylic solvents gives /3-chloroethylsulfonyl chlorides due to further oxidation of the intermediate sulfenyl chloride by chlorine or hypochlorous acid (Scheme 40). Polymer is usually obtained also unless the reaction is done in concentrated hydrochloric acid, which causes rapid ring cleavage to 2-chloroethylthiols which are subsequently oxidized to the sulfonyl chlorides. An 85% yield of (37) is obtained in concentrated hydrochloric acid-HCl(g) whereas only a 15% yield is obtained in CCI4-H2O. 

Treatment of a carborane derivative of thiirane with A-bromosuccinimide gives a j3-bromodisulfide (79MI50601). Chlorination of CM-2,3-di-f-butylthiirane by f-butyl hypochlorite proceeded differently to the reaction with chlorine itself (Scheme 41) (74JA3146). 

The reaction of thiirane 1-oxides with water or methanol is usually acid-catalyzed and gives /3-substituted sulfenic acids which dimerize to thiolsulfinates (54 Scheme 70) (72JA5786). If acetic acid is used a mixture of disulfide (55) and thiolsulfonate (56) is obtained. Treatment of thiirane 1,1-dioxides with hydroxide ion may involve attack on carbon as well as on sulfur as exemplified by 2-phenylthiirane 1,1-dioxide (Scheme 71). 

Primary and secondary aliphatic and aromatic amines react readily with thiiranes to give 2-mercaptoethylamine derivatives (Scheme 76) (76RCR25, 66CRV297). The reaction fails or gives poor yields with amines which are sterically hindered e.g. N,iV-dicyclohexylamine) or whose nitrogen atom is weakly basic e.g. N,A/ -diphenylamine). Aromatic amines are less reactive and higher reaction temperatures are usually required for them. The reaction mechanism is Sn2 and substituted thiiranes are attacked preferentially at the least hindered... 

The acid-catalyzed additions of bromide and chloride ion to thiiranes occurs readily, with halide preferentially but not exclusively attacking the most substituted carbon atom of the thiirane. The reaction of 1-substituted thiiranes with acetyl chloride shows a slight preference for halide attack at the less substituted carbon atom (80MI50601). For further discussion of electrophilic catalysis of halide ion attack see Section 5.06.3.3.2. The reaction of halogens with thiiranes involves electrophilic attack on sulfur (Section 5.06.3.3.6) followed by nucleophilic attack of halide ion on carbon. 

Treatment of thiiranes with lithium aluminum hydride gives a thiolate ion formed by attack of hydride ion on the least hindered carbon atoms (76RCR25), The mechanism is 5n2, inversion occurring at the site of attack. Polymerization initiated by the thiolate ion is a side reaction and may even be the predominant reaction, e.g. with 2-phenoxymethylthiirane. Use of THF instead of ether as solvent is said to favor polymerization. Tetrahydroborates do not reduce the thiirane ring under mild conditions and can be used to reduce other functional groups in the presence of the episulfide. Sodium in ammonia reduces norbornene episulfide to the exo thiol. 

Reactions of Substituents on Thiirane Rings S.06.3.9.1 Reactions on carbon... 

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