CHLORINATION OF AROMATIC HALIDES WITH CHLOROSULFONIC ACID

Abstract

Chlorosulfonic acid–iodine mixture has been shown to chlorinate a number of aromatic halides under mild conditions. In reaction with p-dichlorobenzene, the maximum yield (82%) of hexachlorobenzene required 5 mol of chlorosulfonic acid and 2.5 mol of iodine. The yield of product increased with the amount of iodine present. A mechanism of chlorination is proposed involving iodine-catalysed homolytic decomposition of the intermediate sulfonyl chlorides followed by heterolytic chlorination by the evolved iodine monochloride.

The reaction of o-, m-, and p-dichlorobenzenes with chlorosulfonic acid has been investigated. o-Dichlorobenzene at 100° gave a good yield (85%) of 3,4,3′,4′-tetrachlorodiphenylsulfone although m and p-dichlorobenzenes gave only the expected sulfonyl chlorides. This difference arises from the lack of steric hindrance in the p-position of o-dichlorobenzene leading to facile sulfone formation.

This was confirmed by the observation that 3,4-dichlorobenzenesulfonyl chloride undergoes the Friedel–Crafts reaction with o-dichlorobenzene to give 3,4,3′,4′-tetrachlorodiphenylsulfone (60%), but m- and p-dichlorobenzenes did not give any appreciable amounts of the corresponding sulfones under identical conditions.