Silver-Promoted Decarboxylative Sulfonylation of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids with Sodium Sulfinates

A novel and efficient synthesis of sulfones was developed via a silver-promoted decarboxylative sulfonylation reaction between aromatic carboxylic acids and sodium sulfinates for the first time. The approach features operational simplicity and good functional group compatibility and uses readily available starting materials. Furthermore, mechanistic studies reveal that the decarboxylative sulfonylation reaction is likely to proceed via a radical mechanism.