A Metal-Free and Microwave-Assisted Efficient Synthesis of Diaryl Sulfones

An efficient and general protocol for the synthesis of diaryl sulfones via the metal-free coupling of readily available diaryliodonium salts and arenesulfinates in PEG-400 under microwave irradiation has been developed. Utilizing this metal-free and eco-friendly protocol, we have prepared various diaryl sulfones in high yields and shorter reaction times under mild conditions. Furthermore, the coupling of diaryliodonium with arenesulfinate salts with and without copper iodide provides a convenient access to various diaryl sulfones with high selectivity.