Desulfonylation reactions are chemical reactions leading to the removal of a sulfonyl group from organic compounds. As the sulfonyl functional group is electron-withdrawing, methods for cleaving the sulfur–carbon bonds of sulfones are typically reductive in nature. Olefination or replacement with hydrogen may be accomplished using reductive desulfonylation methods.
Introduction
The sulfonyl functional group (RS(O)2R') has become an important electron-withdrawing group for modern organic chemistry. α-Sulfonyl carbanions may be used as nucleophiles in alkylation reactions, Michael-type additions, and other processes. After having served their synthetic purpose, sulfonyl groups are often removed. In the presence of certain reducing agents, one of the sulfur-carbon bonds of the sulfonyl group is cleaved, leading to sulfur-free organic products. Depending on the nature of the substrate and reaction conditions, alkyl sulfones afford either the corresponding alkanes or olefins (the Julia olefination). Reductive desulfonylation is typically accomplished with active metals or salts (sodium amalgam, aluminium amalgam, magnesium, samarium(II) iodide), tin hydrides (tributyltin hydride), or transition metal complexes with reducing agents or nucleophiles (PdCl2(dppp)/LiHBEt3, Pd(PPh3)4/LiHBEt3, Pd(PPh3)4/NaHC(CO2Et)2). Alkyl, alkenyl, and allylic sulfones may be reduced using one or more of these methods. (1)
Mechanism and stereochemistry
Reductive desulfonylation
Reductive desulfonylation reactions lead to the replacement of a carbon-sulfur bond in the sulfonyl group with a carbon-hydrogen bond. Because the sulfonyl group is by definition attached to two carbons, however, reduction to two sets of products is possible. Mechanistic studies of reductions employing metal amalgams as the reducing agent suggest that upon electron transfer to the sulfone, fragmentation to a sulfinate anion and the more stable organic radical occurs. Immediate reduction of the radical and protonation then occur to afford the sulfur-free product derived from the more stable radical. Thus, S-alkyl bonds are cleaved in preference to S-aryl or S-alkenyl bonds.
Samarium(II) iodide may be used to reductively cleave α-keto sulfones; in the presence of hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA), SmI2 is able to effect reductive elimination of α-functionalized sulfones (see equation () below).
Tin hydrides reduce α-keto and allylic sulfones. The mechanisms of these processes involve the addition of a tin-centered radical to the substrate followed by elimination of a sulfinyl radical, which abstracts a hydrogen from a molecule of tin hydride to propagate the radical chain. Protonation of the organotin intermediates thus formed (by sulfinic acid generated in situ) leads to reduced products. Addition of a stoichiometric amount of proton source allows the use of tin hydride in catalytic amounts. Although desulfonylations of allylic sulfones are site selective (providing only products of allylic transposition), they are not stereoselective and afford mixtures of double bond isomers. The mechanism of desulfonylation of α-keto sulfones is similar.
Transition-metal-mediated reductive desulfonylations rely on the generation of an intermediate π-allyl complex, which undergoes nucleophilic attack by hydride or another nucleophile to afford reduced products. Nucleophilic attack generally occurs at the less substituted position of the π-allyl moiety, although site selectivity depends strongly on the substrate and reaction conditions. Palladium(0) complexes are the most commonly used precatalysts.
Reductive elimination
Sulfones with a good leaving group in the β position may undergo reductive elimination under desulfonylation conditions to afford alkenes. This process is a key step of the Julia olefination, which yields alkenes via addition of an α-sulfonyl carbanion to an aldehyde followed by reductive elimination. Sodium amalgam or samarium(II) iodide/HMPA may be used to convert β-sulfonyloxy or β-acyloxy sulfones to the corresponding alkenes. The key mechanistic step of this process is elimination of an anionic or organometallic intermediate to generate the alkene. (6) The use of sodium amalgam, which promotes the formation of essentially free alkyl anions, leads to (E) alkenes with extremely high selectivity. Samarium(II) iodide also produces the (E) alkene predominantly, but with lower selectivity.
Scope and limitations
Using the appropriate reagent and conditions, alkyl, alkenyl, allylic, and α-keto sulfones may be reduced in good yield and high stereoselectivity (where applicable). Appropriate conditions for the reduction of these classes of sulfones are discussed below.