Sulfoxonium ylides are highly stable carbene precursors, serving as a safer alternative to diazo compounds as they that do not generate gases as byproducts. Sulfoxonium ylides have been shown to be effective in a wide array of transition metal catalyzed C-H functionalization and coupling reactions.
A general, mild, and versatile synthesis of the challenging α-aryl-β-ketosulfoxonium ylides has been developed for the first time, substituting traditional methods starting from diazo compounds. The arylation of easily accessible β-ketosulfoxonium ylides using aryne chemistry allowed the preparation of a
Direct and efficient synthesis of 1-naphthols has been realized via Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation of sulfoxonium ylides and subsequent annulation with alkynes, where the sulfoxonium ylide functioned as a new traceless bifunctional directing group. This reaction occurred under redox-neutral conditions with
Rh(III)-catalyzed cascade C-H activation of benzoylacetonitriles and annulation with sulfoxonium ylides was realized, leading to selective synthesis of naphthols, 2,3-dihydronaphtho[1,8- bc]pyrans, and naphtho[1,8- bc]pyrans. This step-economic reaction proceeded efficiently under mild and redox-neutral conditions via multiple C-H activations.