The flash vacuum thermolysis (FVT) of cycloalkenyl allyl (or propargyl) sul
fides 8, 9, 12, and 13 led, as the main thermal pathway, to the conjugated
cycloalkenethiones 1, 3, and 5, resulting from a retro-ene reaction, These
reactive thioketones, thus obtained in ca. 70% yield, have been characteriz
ed in the gas phase by mass spectrometry, and at low temperature by IR, UV/
Vis and NMR spectroscopy. The polymerization of 1, 3, and 5 upon warming is
generally more rapid than the other attempted reactions and only the [2 3] dipolar cycloaddition with diazomethane led in low yield, besides polyme
ric materials, to isomeric 1,3-dithiolanes 20 from cyclopentenethione 1. Th
e obtention of the nonconjugated cycloalkenethiones 2 and 4, expected in th
e FVT of sulfides 10 and 11, has been confirmed only by UV/Vis spectroscopy
at -196 degrees C, due to their rapid enethiolization. In the case of the
large-ring sulfide 14, the (E) geometry of the double bond favoured the com
petitive retro-ene reaction yielding cyclododecene and propynethial; on the
other hand, the FVT of the tricyclic gem-dithiol 15, a possible precursor
of cyclobutenethione (7), led to vinyl thioketene (18), obtained by thermal
ring opening of 7.