Evidence for the participation of a nitrile group in [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangements of sulphonium ylides
Abstract
The formation of N-methylthiomethylketenimines from the reaction of α-cyanoalkyl-dimethylsulphonium salts with n-butyl-lithium or triethylamine occurs by way of a [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of intermediate ylides.