R. Alan Aitken, Martin J. Drysdale and Bruce M. Ryan
Six α-sulfinyl phosphorus ylides 6 have been prepared and are found upon flash vacuum pyrolysis at 500 °C to undergo mainly extrusion of Ph3P to give thioesters, presumably by 1,2-oxygen transfer in the initially formed sulfinyl carbenes; for α-arylsulfinyl ylides loss of Ph3PO to give additional products is also observed.