Thermal rearrangements of bis-allenyl thiosulfonates. Synthesis of novel thienothiophene and thieno-oxathiine derivatives

The synthesis and thermal rearrangement of bis-allenyl thiosulfonates are described. Bis-,gamma,gamma-disubstituted allenyl thiosulfonates have been prepared by disproportionation of the corresponding allenesulfinic acids. On heating, these compounds unexpectedly rearrange to a mixture of 1H,3H-thieno[3,4-d][1,2]oxathiine-3-oxide 8, 1H,3H-thieno[3,4-c]thiophene-2,2-dioxide 9, and 3-alkyl-4-alkenylthiophene 10. A tentative reaction mechanism involving sequential sigmatropic rearrangements and cyclizations is suggested. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.