Kernforschungsanlage Julich Gesellschaft MIT Beschrankter Haftung

Kernforschungsanlage Julich

Dierk Knittel

Bertel Kastening

A process for producing sulfones in which sulfur dioxide is electrolytically transformed into SO.sub.2.sup.- ions and caused to react with organic compounds having functional groups replaceable by SO.sub.2.sup.-, in an aprotic organic solvent, to produce the corresponding organosulfone. According to the present improvement, an ester such as sulfonic acid or sulfuric acid ester, is added to the solvent as an organic compound capable of reacting with halogen ions of a salt, such as tetraalkylamoniumhalogenide or tetraalkylphosphoniumhalogenide, introduced into the solvent as a conductivity-promoting agent.

Process for producing sulfones

Sulfones are produced by reacting an organic compound R--X (where X is a substituent on the organic radical R replaceable by SO.sub.2.sup.- ion) in an aprotic organic medium which may be the compound itself, with SO.sub.2.sup.- ions produced by electrolysis upon introduction of sulfur dioxide into the system. Any of a wide range of sulfones or polysulfones having surfactant and fabric-treating (finishing) or therapeutic properties or serving as materials for the manufacture of plastics may be made in this manner.

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Julich, Germany

Dierk Knittel