Alkylation of magnesium sulfinates: A direct transformation of functionalized aromatic/heteroaromatic halides into sulfones

Sulfinate alkylation is one of the conventional methods for sulfone synthesis. The alkylation of magnesium sulfinates, which are easily accessible via reactions of organomagnesium intermediates with sulfur dioxide, provides a convenient route for sulfone preparation. In this communication, we report a preliminary study of the alkylation of ary1magnesium sulfinates. An application of this reaction to directly transform functionalized aromatic/heteroaromatic halides into sulfones is also described.