55705-18-5

Treatment of 1-chloroalkyl phenyl sulfoxides with a base gave carbenoids rather than free carbenes.The carbenoids were successfully used in a new method for homologation of ketones to α-sulfinyl ketones.Treatment of the carbanion of chloromethyl phenyl sulfoxide with ketones gave the adducts, α-chloro β-hydroxy sulfoxides, in nearly quantitative yields. the adducts were treated with excess lithium diisopropylamide to give one-carbon homologated α-sulfinyl ketones via α-sulfinyl β-oxido carbenoids in moderate to good yields.This type of reaction was found not to occur with the corresponding sulfones.

Addition of the carbanion of chloromethyl phenyl sulfoxide to ketones gave the adducts, which were treated with lithium diisopropylamide to afford one-carbon homologated α-sulfinyl ketones via α-sulfinyl carbenoids in moderate to high yields.

Phenyl sulfoxides are easily prepared by the chemoselective oxidation of the corresponding sulfides with molecular equivalents of 2-hydroperoxy-2-methoxypropane.This reagent is generated from 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene by ozonization in methanol.