Synthesis of sulfones via selective C-H-functionalization

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Synthetic Chemistry

Background:

• Sulfones are crucial compound classes in pharmaceuticals and materials science.
• Classical sulfone synthesis methods often require pre-functionalized substrates.
• Direct C-H bond functionalization offers a more atom-economical and efficient synthetic strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in the direct sulfonylation of C-H bonds.
• To highlight both metal-catalyzed and metal-free methodologies.
• To cover transformations involving C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H bonds.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on metal-catalyzed C-H sulfonylation.
• Analysis of metal-free C-H sulfonylation strategies.
• Focus on direct functionalization of aliphatic and aromatic C-H bonds.

Main Results:

• Significant progress in selective C-H sulfonylation over the past decade.
• Development of diverse catalytic systems for efficient sulfone synthesis.
• Emergence of metal-free protocols offering greener alternatives.

Conclusions:

• Direct C-H sulfonylation is a rapidly evolving and powerful synthetic approach.
• Both catalytic and non-catalytic methods provide versatile routes to sulfones.
• This strategy significantly streamlines the preparation of sulfone-containing molecules.