Sulfone

In organic chemistry, a sulfone is a organosulfur compound containing a sulfonyl (R−S(=O)2−R’) functional group attached to two carbon atoms.

[1] Sulfones are typically prepared by organic oxidation of thioethers, often referred to as sulfides.

[1] Sulfur dioxide is a convenient and widely used source of the sulfonyl functional group.

[3] The industrially useful solvent sulfolane is prepared by addition of sulfur dioxide to buta-1,3-diene followed by hydrogenation of the resulting sulfolene.

[12] Sulfone is a relatively inert functional group, typically less oxidizing and 4 bel more acidic than sulfoxides.

In the Ramberg–Bäcklund reaction and the Julia olefination, sulfones are converted to alkenes by the elimination of sulfur dioxide.

Examples of sulfones in pharmacology include dapsone, a drug formerly used as an antibiotic to treat leprosy, dermatitis herpetiformis, tuberculosis, or pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP).