Iodine‐Promoted Synthesis of Vinyl Sulfones via Decarboxylative Sulfonylation of α, β ‐Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids Using Aryl Sulfonyl Zinc Chlorides at Room Temperature

ABSTRACT

We report the first decarboxylative sulfonylation of α , β ‐unsaturated carboxylic acids using aryl sulfonyl zinc chlorides as sulfonylating agents, providing a sustainable and efficient route for the synthesis of ( E )‐vinyl sulfones. The aryl sulfonyl zinc chlorides are odorless, bench‐stable reagents that offer substantial safety and environmental benefits over conventional sulfone surrogates. The transformation occurred under exceptionally mild conditions, offered broad substrate compatibility, tolerated diverse functional groups on both cinnamic acids and aryl sulfonyl zinc chlorides, and delivered 26 vinyl sulfone derivatives in good to excellent yields.