Silyl Triflate-Promoted Sulfonylations

Sulfonamides are prevalent functional groups represented in both natural and pharmaceutical products. The synthesis of sulfonamides is often straightforward when using nucleophilic amines and electrophilic sulfonyl chlorides. When reactivity challenges arise for nontraditional substrates, harsh conditions or new synthetic routes may be required. Here we report a method using silyl triflate additives to overcome reactivity limitations when electron deficient and sterically encumbered amines are used in conjunction with electron rich or bulky sulfonyl chlorides.