Organotransition Metallic Chemistry of Sulfur Dioxide Analogs

This chapter describes organometallic chemistry of the simple analogs of sulfur dioxide. The organometallic chemistry of sulfur dioxide focuses on the interactions with σ-organyl derivatives, whereby apparent insertion of the cumulene into the metal–carbon bond occurs. The specific fields of iminooxosulfurane, sulfur diimide, and sulfine chemistry are sufficiently immature as to still reflect the particular perspectives of the few research groups involved to date. Few situations where detailed comparisons may be made for a complete range of sulfur(IV) heterocumulenes bound to the same metal–ligand fragment even exist. Even in the few situations where this is possible, both parallels and divergences are apparent. The basic analogy with sulfur dioxide will, in many but not all situations, be a useful one. A critical appraisal of the known organometallic chemistry of sulfur dioxide reveals a preoccupation with either the mode of coordination to be adopted or simple insertion reactions with comparatively mundane σ-alkyl ligands.