Electrochemical Synthesis of Sultone Derivatives via Dehydrogenative C-O Bond Formation

Org Lett. 2023 May 19;25(19):3476-3481. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c01062. Epub 2023 May 9.

Abstract

Electrochemical dehydrogenative C-O bond formation for the synthesis of sultones was achieved. In the presence of K2CO3 and H2O, constant current electrolysis of [1,1'-biphenyl]-2-sulfonyl chloride afforded an aryl-fused sultone quantitatively. Under the optimized conditions, a variety of sultone derivatives were obtained. Control experiments suggest that the electrochemical oxidation of the sulfonates generated in situ would afford sulfo radical intermediates.