IMPROVED PREPARATION OF SULFINATE SALTS AND THEIR MICHAEL ADDITION TO ENONES

Arylsulfinic acids and their salts are available from the corresponding arylsulfonyl chlorides by zinc reduction.2 On the other hand, aliphatic sulfinic acids and their salts are not easily prepared. The most common method is metal reduction of sulfonyl chlorides as with the aryl systems, but the yields are much lower and the reaction product is contaminated with other sulfur compounds.2 Another preparation involves the reaction of Grignard reagents and organolithiums with sulfur dioxide, but this also suffers from competing side reactions. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.