• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.2953-2958
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• 2013

A noble phenylsulfonyl reagent 8 having ${\alpha}$-oxo (cyanomethylene)triphenylphosphorane ylide subunit readily condensed with various alkyl halides under basic conditions to afford ${\beta}$-alkyl-${\alpha}$-oxo-${\beta}$-phenylsulfonyl (cyanomethylene)triphenylphosphorane ylides 9 in excellent yields. These sulfonyl ylides 9 were then reductively desulfonylated with $Na(Hg)/Na_2HPO_4$ in the presence of methanol to provide ${\alpha}$-keto (cyanomethylene)-triphenylphosphorane ylides 2' in good to excellent yields. Our new synthetic approach offers an expeditious access to various ${\alpha}$-keto (cyanomethylene)triphenylphosphorane ylides from alkyl halides utilizing a new phenylsulfonyl reagent as the key reagent under mild reaction conditions in good overall yields.