• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.281-284
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• 2007

Neopentyl arenesulfonates react with secondary alkylmagnesium chlorides in the presence of dppfNiCl2 to produce the corresponding arenes via the reductive cleavage of carbon-sulfur bond. Highest yield is obtained by using three equivalents of Grignard reagent to a mixture of arenesulfonate and dppfNiCl2 in Et2O at room temperature. This reaction represents a novel method allowing the efficient hydrogenolysis of sulfur-containing groups in aromatic compounds.