Electrochemical Synthesis of α,α-Dichlorosulfoxides from Methyl Sulfoxides with Dichloromethane.

A novel electrochemical method for chlorination reactions which use methyl sulfoxides and dichloroethane to synthesize derivatives of α,α-dichlorosulfoxides has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions without transition metals and chemical oxidants in yields of up to 78%. In addition, mechanistic studies reveal that dichloromethane provides the chlorine source under electrolytic conditions. This strategy further expands the synthetic methods for gem-dichlorosulfoxides and provides a new approach to utilize dichloromethane as a chlorine source.