6305-64-2

Conventionally, sulfones are prepared by oxidation of sulfides with strong oxidants. Now, a multicomponent reductive cross-coupling involving an inorganic salt (sodium metabisulfite) for the straightforward construction of sulfones is disclosed. Both intramolecular and intermolecular reductive cross-couplings were comprehensively explored, and diverse sulfones were accessible from the corresponding alkyl and aryl halides. Intramolecular cyclic sulfones were systematically obtained from five- to twelve-membered rings. Naturally occurring aliphatic systems, such as steroids, saccharides, and amino acids, were highly compatible with the SO2-insertion reductive cross-coupling. Four clinically applied drug molecules, which include multiple heteroatoms and functional groups with active hydrogens, were successfully prepared via a late-stage SO2 insertion. Mechanistic studies show that alkyl radicals and sulfonyl radicals were both involved as intermediates in this transformation.

The invention discloses an aryl alkyl sulfone compound shown as a formula (1) and a synthetic method thereof. The aryl alkyl sulfone compound is prepared by taking an aromatic iodide, an inorganic sulfur reagent and an alkyl bromide as reaction raw materials to carry out reacting in a solvent under action of alkali, a catalyst, a ligand, a reducing agent and an additive. According to the invention, an inorganic sulfur reagent is used as a sulfur source to construct the aryl alkyl sulfone compound in one step under catalysis and reduction conditions, so that the defect in synthesizing the arylalkyl sulfone compound by conventional oxidation of thioether is avoided. The aryl alkyl sulfone compound developed by the invention can be used for synthesizing aryl alkyl sulfone medicines.

Syntheses of (4-aminophenyl)-alkyl, -cycloalkyl and -aryl sulfones 2 were achieved both by alkylation of 4-(acetylamino)-benzenesulfinic acid (7) to the corresponding acetanilides 9 followed by hydrolysis and by oxidation of the appropriate (4-nitrophenyl)-sulfides 11 to (4-nitrophenyl)-sulfones 1 with subsequent Bechamp reduction.