Oxidative addition of Pd0 to Ar-SO2R bonds: heck-type reactions of sulfones

[reaction: see text] Phenyl vinyl sulfones and sulfoxides react with Pd(OAc)(2) to form styryl sulfoxides and sulfones according to the first Mizoroki-Heck reaction reported for these thio derivatives. Only sulfones are able to react by using catalytic amounts of Pd (up to 1 mol %) in the presence of Ag(2)CO(3). 1,2-Diphenylsulfonyl ethenes, alkynylphenyl sulfones, and other sulfones, less prone to act as acceptors in the Heck-type reactions, can transfer the aryl group to alkyl acrylates forming cinnamic esters.