Synthesis of Aromatic Sulfones from SO 2 and Organosilanes Under Metal-free Conditions

Abstract : The conversion of SO2 to arylsulfones has been achieved for the first time under metal-free conditions, by reacting SO2 with (hetero)arylsilanes and alkylhalides, in the presence of a fluoride source. The mechanism of this transformation has been elucidated based on DFT calculations, which highlight the influence of SO2 in promoting C–Si bond cleavage.