Cu-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Olefinsulfonation of Alkyl Arenes

Org Lett. 2020 Nov 20;22(22):8791-8795. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c03146. Epub 2020 Nov 11.

Abstract

A copper-catalyzed reaction protocol for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzenes into styrene derivatives has been developed. This reaction procedure proceeded well under mild reaction conditions, providing a practical and efficient strategy for the rapid assembly of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules, such as vinyl sulfone. Simple alkyl arenes were functionalized via consecutive β-elimination in the presence of N-sulfonylbenzo[d]imidazole with broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance.