A visible-light-catalyzed sulfonylation reaction of an aryl selenonium salt via an electron donor-acceptor complex

An efficient synthesis of sulfone structures through selenonium salts and sodium sulfinates was developed. Under the irradiation of a blue LED lamp, the two substrates generate aryl and sulfonyl radicals through the activation of the intermediate electron donor acceptor (EDA) complex, thereby synthesizing aromatic, heteroaromatic and aliphatic sulfones in medium to good yields. The advantages of this strategy are metal-free, mild conditions and the leaving group is recycled to construct new selenonium salts.

Catalyst-Free Electrochemical Sulfonylation of Organoboronic Acids

A simple and efficient electrochemical sulfonylation of organoboronic acids with sodium arylsulfinate salts has been reported for the first time. A variety of aryl, heteroaryl, and alkenylsulfones were obtained in good to excellent yields via a simple electrochemical sulfonylation of various arylboronic acids, heterocyclic boronic acids, or alkenylboronic acids with sodium arylsulfinate at room temperature in 5 h under the catalyst-free and additive-free conditions. A plausible mechanism has been proposed based on various radical-trapping and CV control experiments.

Metal-free sulfonylation of arenes with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide via cleavage of S-N bonds: expeditious synthesis of diarylsulfones

A novel metal-free sulfonylation of arenes with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) toward the synthesis of diarylsulfones has been developed. The reaction represents a rare example of sulfonylation reaction using NFSI as an efficient sulfonyl donor and the first example of acid-mediated sulfonylation of unactivated arenes with NFSI via selective cleavage of S-N bonds. This protocol provides a concise approach for the construction of pharmaceutically and biologically important diarylsulfones. Applications in the functionalization of natural products (e.g., β-estradiol) and in the synthesis of a key intermediate to an inhibitor of farnesyl-protein transferase, as well as in the gram-scale synthesis of the EPAC2 antagonist, are demonstrated.

Complementary Site-Selective Sulfonylation of Aromatic Amines by Superacid Activation

Under superacidic conditions, aniline and indole derivatives are sulfonylated at low temperature with easy-to-access arenesulfonic acids or arenesulfonyl hydrazides. By modification of the functional-group directing effect through protonation, this method allows nonclassical site functionalization by overcoming the innate regioselectivity of electrophilic aromatic substitution. This superacid-mediated sulfonylation of arenes is complementary to existing methods and can be applied, through protection by protonation, to the late-stage site-selective functionalization of natural alkaloids and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Review of the Syntheses and Activities of Some Sulfur-Containing Drugs

Background:

Sulfur-containing compounds represent an important class of chemical compounds due to their wide range of biological and pharmaceutical properties. Moreover, sulfur-containing compounds may be applied in other fields, such as biological, organic, and materials chemistry. Several studies on the activities of sulfur compounds have already proven their anti-inflammatory properties and use to treat diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and HIV. Moreover, examples of sulfur-containing compounds include dapsone, quetiapine, penicillin, probucol, and nelfinavir, which are important drugs with known activities.

Objective:

This review will focus on the synthesis and application of some sulfur-containing compounds used to treat several diseases, as well as promising new drug candidates.

Results:

Due to the variety of compounds containing C-S bonds, we have reviewed the different synthetic routes used toward the synthesis of sulfur-containing drugs and other compounds.

Regiospecific Cleavage of S-N Bonds in Sulfonyl Azides: Sulfonyl Donors

Sulfonyl azides have been widely used as sulfonamido, diazo, and azido donors, as well as all-nitrogen 1,3-dipoles donors in synthetic chemistry. Here, the sulfonyl azides were used as efficient sulfonyl donors, which is very unusual. Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid-induced formation of the sulfonyl cation reactive species from sulfonyl azides was developed and used for the first time to couple various inactivated arenes to prepare sulfones at ambient temperature.

Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Oxidative Arylations for the Synthesis of Fused Biaryl Sulfones

This study unveils palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative cyclizations in biaryl and heterobiaryl sulfones providing direct access to fused biaryl sulfones (dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxides). Variously substituted dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxides could be readily prepared in good to excellent yields under optimized conditions. In addition, bromination afforded dibromo derivative of dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxides, providing platform for late-stage diversification. The translational applications of this current protocol have successfully been demonstrated in the synthesis of 2,8-diamino derivative of dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxides, a α₇-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist analogue, and novel single fluorene-tethered dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxide, an organic emitter.

Exogenous-oxidant-free electrochemical oxidative C–H sulfonylation of arenes/heteroarenes with hydrogen evolution

This work describes an exogenous-oxidant-free radical C–H sulfonylation using an electrochemical oxidative protocol.

Exploiting amphiphilicity: facile metal free access to thianthrenes and related sulphur heterocycles

Benzodithioloimines are reacted with arynes or alkynes substituted with electron-withdrawing groups to afford the corresponding thianthrene or benzo[b][1,4]dithiine derivatives. The transformation takes place under mild reaction conditions without any transition metal. Furthermore, the reaction mode could be expanded to 2-thiocyanatopyrroles yielding pyrrolothiazoles.