Electrophilic Chlorination by Sulfuryl Chloride in the Presence of Silica Gel

Abstract

It is known that sulfuryl chloride reacts with alkyl-benzenes by a homolytic reaction mechanism and the chlorination occurs exclussively at side chains, particularly in the presence of peroxides¹. Bolton reported electrophilic chlorination of alkylbenzenes by SO₂-Cl₂ in nitromethane as a solvent². We now wish to communicate electrophilic chlorination of alkylbenzenes occurring by SO₂-Cl₂ in n-hexane or in CCl₄ as solvents even in the presence of peroxides, if a small amount of silica gel is added to the reaction mixture.