2-(Phenylthio)alkanenitriles, homoallyl sulfides, and thioacetals were obtained in good yields by the reaction of alkenyl sulfides with the corresponding silyl nucleophiles via thionium ion intermediates.
an alkyl- lithium to 1-phenylthio-1-trimethylsilylethene (7), and transmetallation of a tributylstannyl moiety. The formation of an alkyl-lithium by reaction of lithium naphthalenide with a phenyl sulphide provided an additional route to (2) from bis(phenylthio)acetals (8). An alternative path to the α-phenylthiosilanes (2) was to reduce the corresponding α-phenylsulphonylsilane (15); these, in turn