USE OF 2,3-BIS(PHENYLSULFONYL)-1-PROPENE AS A MULTICOUPLING REAGENT

2,3-Bis(phenylsulfonyl)-1-propene (1) reacts with various amines to afford products derived from addition across the double bond as well as S(N)2' displacement. When treated with 2-piperidinemethanol, bissulfone 1 gave the expected S(N)2' product which was converted to the corresponding bromide and cyclized with tributyltin hydride to a bicyclic amine. Reaction of bissulfone 1 with furfurylamine followed by treatment with acetyl chloride afforded the product derived from a tandem S(N)2' displacement-intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction. Several novel heterocyclic compounds were prepared by connecting two nucleophilic sites with a carbon-carbon bond and allowing this reagent to react with bissulfone 1. The reaction of 1 with the pyrrolidine enamine derived from cyclohexanone gave bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one in 78% yield. The soft nucleophile approach is not the only way to add carbon centers to bissulfone 1. Radical attack on the double bond of 1 leads to an intermediate sulfonyl-stabilized radical. This species readily fragments to produce a new vinyl sulfone which undergoes further radical cyclization to give six-membered ring sulfones.