Fe2O3-catalyzed Pummerer rearrangement of acyl chlorides and sulfoxides: Facile synthesis of alkylthiomethyl ester

A simple, effective approach for the Pummerer rearrangement of acyl chlorides with sulfoxides by using a low-cost and more abundant Fe catalyst has been described. The alkylthiomethyl ester products were prepared in good to excellent yields for a range of different substrates including asymmetrical sulfoxides and acyl chlorides with a variety of functional groups under mild reaction conditions. The reaction features short reaction time, simple manipulation, cheap reagents and a broad substrate scope. Single crystal X-ray analysis of a representative methylthiomethyl (MTM) group containing product was also reported.