Some Comments on the Conformations of Methyl Phenyl Sulfides,Sulfoxides and Sulfones

¹³C-NMR. and He (Iα) photoelectron spectra of alkyl phenyl sulfides, sulfoxides and sulfones have been used to probe how their conformations depend on the size of the alkyl groups R. The results are interpreted to indicate that in the sulfides the S, R-bond is twisted out of the planar conformation with increasing size of the alkyl group, whereas in the sulfoxides and sulfones the preferred conformation with the S, R-bond perpendicular to the phenyl group plane seems to be independent of the size of R. These conclusions are in agreement with previous work on the alkyl phenyl sulfides and provide strong support for previous conjectures concerning the preferred conformations of alkyl phenyl sulfoxides and sulfones.