Cyanide-Mediated Synthesis of Sulfones and Sulfonamides from Vinyl Sulfones

We report a facile synthesis of sulfones, beta-keto sulfones, and sulfonamides from vinyl sulfones via an addition-elimination sequence where in situ generation of nucleophilic sulfinate ion is mediated by cyanide. The use vinyl sulfones renders high selectivity for S-alkylation to produce sulfones in high yields. In the presence of N-bromosuccinimide, primary and secondary amines underwent sulfonamide formation. A preliminary mechanistic study showed the formation of acrylonitrile as an innocent byproduct, without interfering with the desired reaction pathway while generating a sulfinate nucleophile.