Sulfonation of chlorine-containing polymers: Sulfonation of various model tert-alkyl chlorides

Summary

tert-Alkyl chlorides of the structure R-C(CH₃)₂Cl, where R-methyl, ethyl, tert-butyl, and neo-pentyl, were reacted with a stoichiometric quantity of acetyl sulfate at room temperature in methylene chloride diluent. Reaction conversion was monitored as a function of time using ¹H NMR; structure of the sulfonated products was characterized using ¹H and ¹³C NMR. Reactivity toward sulfonation increased with increasing size of the R group. In all cases the structure of the products was the same as would be expected from sulfonation of the olefin which results from dehydrochlorination of the tert-chloride. The observed behavior was consistent with a mechanism involving dehydrochlorination followed by addition of SO₃ to yield a zwitterionic intermediate. Depending upon structure, the zwitterion may either eliminate a proton to form one or more isomeric β,γ-unsaturated sulfonic acids, or it may rearrange to form a five-membered γ-sultone. This chemistry, which is particularly useful in the synthesis of ionomers, represents a direct route to alkyl sulfonic acids when the alkyl halide is the natural starting point in the synthesis.