Synthesis of some 5-substituted sulphinyl-2-furancarbaldehydes

Sulfides are the sulfur analog of ethers, just as thiols are the sulfur analog of alcohol. Like ethers, sulfides also consist of two hydrocarbon groups bonded to the central sulfur atom. Depending upon the type of groups present, sulfides can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Symmetrical sulfides can be prepared via an SN2 reaction between 2 equivalents of an alkyl halide and one equivalent of sodium sulfide.

One of the methods for preparing symmetrical or unsymmetrical acid anhydrides involves the treatment of acid chlorides with the sodium salt of carboxylic acids. The reaction proceeds via a nucleophilic acyl substitution.
The carboxylate ion acts as a nucleophile that attacks the carbonyl carbon of the acid chloride to form a tetrahedral intermediate. Subsequently, the re-formation of the carbonyl group with the loss of the chloride ion as a leaving group leads to the formation of an acid...

α,β-Unsaturated carbonyl compounds are molecules bearing a carbonyl and alkene functionality in conjugation with each other. The conjugation in the molecule leads to three resonance structures. The hybrid form exhibits two probable electrophilic sites: the carbonyl carbon and the β carbon.

α-Substituted ketones or aldehydes can be synthesized from enamines by the Stork enamine reaction, named after its pioneer Gilbert Stork. Enamines are useful synthetic intermediates where the lone pair on nitrogen is in conjugation with the C=C bond. They resemble enolate ions, as the resonance forms of both species have a nucleophilic α carbon.

Aldehydes are more reactive than carboxylic acids and hence, can get over-reduced to alcohol in the presence of strong reducing agents. Therefore, carboxylic acids are inefficient in preparing aldehydes using LAH.
Carboxylic acid derivatives like acid chlorides and esters are more easily reducible than the corresponding acids. The derivatives reduce in the presence of mild reducing agents to give aldehydes. Aldehydes can also be prepared by Rosenmund reduction, that is, the reduction of acid...

Carboxylic acids can be prepared by the carboxylation of Grignard reagents (RMgX). This method is convenient for converting alkyl (primary, secondary or tertiary), vinyl, benzyl, and aryl halides to carboxylic acids with one additional carbon than the starting RMgX.