During the course of an investigation of the sub-stituent group effect in the metalation of diary1 sulfonesRT, h the reaction of n-butyllithium with mesityl phenyl sulfone (I) was studied. IYhen a solution of sulfone I in refluxing ether was treated with a slight excess of 75- butyllithiuin, the initially deep red solution became light orange and a flocculent precipitate developed over a period of a few minutes. On hydrolysis, essentially the entire product ...
