SYNTHESIS OF BROMODIFLUOROMETHYL PHENYL SULFIDE, SULFOXIDE AND SULFONE

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-1139(00)82673-1

Sodium thiophenoxide reacts with dibromodifluoromethane to give bromodifluoromethyl phenyl sulfide.Peracid oxidation of the sulfide gives the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone.The formation of the sulfide is suggested to proceed via attack of thiophenoxide on halogen to produce difluorocarbene.Capture of carbene by thiophenoxide followed by a second positive halogen abstraction reaction yields the sulfide, PhSCF2Br.The use of excess sodium thiophenoxide yields difluorobis(thiophenyl)methane, (PhS)2CF2, via a similar mechanistic scheme.