sulfuryl

Sulfuryl is a term used in chemistry to refer to the sulfuryl moiety, a sulfonyl-like group characterized by a sulfur atom double-bonded to two oxygens and singly bonded to two substituents. In formula form, the neutral sulfuryl fragment is often represented as SO2R2, where the two R groups are carbon-containing substituents or other atoms. The sulfur atom is in the +6 oxidation state in these compounds.

The sulfuryl group is a key structural motif in a class of compounds known as sulfonyl derivatives. When the sulfuryl group is bound to two substituents that are halogens, alcohols, amines, or other groups, it forms reagents such as sulfuryl chlorides (SO2Cl2) and sulfuryl fluorides (FSO2F or FSO2F in gas form). These compounds act as sulfonylating agents, enabling the introduction of the –SO2– linkage into molecules. The sulfuryl moiety is also central to the chemistry of sulfonyl-containing reagents used in organic synthesis, including tosyl chlorides and related sulfonylating reagents that convert alcohols into good leaving groups or form sulfonamides with amines.

In practice, sulfuryl-containing reagents are typically highly reactive toward nucleophiles and are moisture-sensitive; for example, sulfuryl chlorides hydrolyze in water to sulfuric acid and hydrogen chloride. They are used in a range of applications, from enabling functional group transformations in synthetic chemistry to serving as activators in polymer and materials science. Safety considerations include corrosivity, oxidation potential, and the release of sulfur oxides upon hydrolysis or decomposition.