Thiiranes, decomposition

Since a similarity between the rates of decomposition of thiirene dioxide complexes and those of thiirane dioxides was found, it was suggested103 that upon coordination the carbon-carbon bond order of thiirene dioxides decreases and the ligand becomes thiirane dioxide-like. The role of the metal is thus to saturate the carbon-carbon double bond so that the reactivity of the coordinated thiirene dioxide approaches that of the thermally less stable thiirane dioxide. 

It has been generally assumed that thermal decomposition of thiirane oxides proceeds stereospecifically to the corresponding olefins by elimination of sulfur monoxide, possibly through a concerted nonlinear chelatropic reaction96 with retention of configuration of the liberated olefin. 

An analogous sulfur transfer reaction has been proposed for the thermal decomposition of neutral thiirane to give ethylene and elemental sulfur, on the basis of ah initio calculations at the G3(MP2) level of theory [135]. 

The symmetric diarylthiirene oxides (18) are much more thermally stable than the corresponding saturated thiiranes and unsaturated thiirene dioxides. Thus, the thiirene oxide 18a shows only slight decomposition after 24 hours of reflux in benzene, whereas the analogous sulfone 19b fragments completely to SO2 and diphenylacetylene after less than six hours under the same conditions Irradiation of the oxide 18a, however, does result in the elimination of sulfur monoxide and formation of diphenylacetylene. Its thermolysis at 130 °C afforded benzil as the only isolable product, implying that SO is not being eliminated in this thermolytic process. 

As mentioned above (see Scheme 1), three main directions of the decomposition of intermediates that formed are possible when phosphorus and arsenic ylides react with compounds bearing C=X bonds 5,6,19,63,64,88 (i) elimination of R3E15=X to form olefins (Wittig type reaction) (ii) retro-Wittig type decomposition and (iii) elimination of R3E15 and formation of three-membered cycles (Corey-Chaykovsky type reaction). According to the data of Erker and coworkers,12,13,51 under kinetic control, the reaction of phosphorus ylides with thiocarbonyl compounds also affords phosphines and thiiranes, whose further transformations lead to olefins and R3PS under thermodynamic control. 

A characteristic property of thiirane 1,1-dioxides is the ease with which such molecules fragment into sulfur dioxide and the related olefin on standing for several hours at room temperature. The title compound is no exception however, the rate of decomposition may be reduced substantially by storage under an inert atmosphere in a freezing compartment (ca. —5°). Under such conditions the product may be kept for many months. 

Catalyst-mediated decomposition of diazo compounds in the presence of C=S compounds has found application for the preparation of thiiranes in homogeneous systems (68,110,111). Recently, a convenient procedure for the preparation of geminal dichlorothiiranes from nonenolizable thioketones and chloroform under Makosza conditions was reported (112). Another approach to 2,2-dihalogenated thiiranes (e.g., 2,2-difluoro derivatives) involves the thermolysis of Seyferth reagents in the presence of thioketones (113,114a). Nucleophilic dimethoxycarbene was shown to add smoothly to adamantanethione to provide a unique approach to a thiiranone (5, 5 )-dimethylacetal (114b). 

Thermal decomposition of each thiirane-1-oxide 531 <1997JOC8366> and trisulfide 2-oxide 533 <20010L3565> delivers sulfur monoxide to 1,3-dienes giving 2,5-dihydrothiophene-l-oxides 532 (Scheme 84). 

Some examples of the preparation of oxirancs, thiiranes and aziridines by the reaction of diazo compounds with trifluoromethyl-substituted carbonyl and thiocarbonyl compounds. imines,and oximes arc known. However, as noted in Section 2.1.1.6.2.5.1., carbenes are not always the reactive species. Thus, the reaction can consist of a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, followed by decomposition of the resulting pyrazolinc. 

Oxygen-sulfur heteroatom exchange has been achieved with 3-methyl-benzene thiazole-2-thione in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and with l-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole. Thiirane can be prepared from oxirane on a support impregnated with alkali metal salts, by decomposition of the dithiocarbon-ate formed with carbon disulfide. A macrocyclic ether, perhydrobenzo-18-crown-6, plays a role in the nucleophilic reaction of oxirane with KCNS, which leads to thiirane in good yield. ... 

Thiete structures have been suggested as fragmentation products in the mass spectra of a thietane fused to a 3-lactam, an ortho disulfide of a thiolbenzoate ester, -propanethiol, thiirane carboxylic acid esters, isothiazoles, thiazoles, 1,3-dithiole 2-thiones, 1,3-dithiolene-2-ones, S-ethyl thio-benzoate, and thianaphthene sulfones. Tetramethylthiete may have been formed on thermolysis of the p-toluenesulfonyl-hydrazone of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thietanone. " Thiete 2-thione may be an intermediate in the decomposition of 1,2-ditholium salts by the action of bases. " 2,2-Diphenyl-2H-thiete is suggested as an intermediate in the reaction of diphenyldiazomethane with 1,2,3-benzo-thiadiazole which yields 9-phenylthioxanthene and three other products. ... 

The thermal desulfonylation of episulfones is highly stereospecific e.g., cis-2,3-dimethyl-thiirane-1,1-dioxide gives cw-2-butene , and trans- and cw-2,3-diphenyl thiirane 1,1-dioxides give trans and cis stilbenes, respectively . This result is remarkable in that the Woodward-Hoffman symmetry selection rules for inter-molecular cycloadditions (and their reversals) appear to exclude a concerted thermal decomposition of thiirane-l,l-dioxides . ... 

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