Electrooxidation-induced arylsulfonylation of xanthene derivatives with DABSO as an SO₂ surrogate

An electrochemical redox C(sp³)-H arylsulfonylation of xanthenes has been developed using aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates and DABSO as the arylsulfone source. This radical reaction proceeds via the formation of arylsulfonyl radicals from the reaction between aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates and DABSO, followed by a radical cross-coupling process. Notably, the reaction occurs in the absence of any catalyst or external oxidant, providing efficient sulfonylation of xanthenes with broad functional group compatibility.