Martin's sulfurane
# Martin's sulfurane

Martin's sulfurane is the organosulfur compound with the formula $Ph_2S[OC(CF_3)_2Ph]_2$ (Ph = $C_6H_5).$ It is a white solid that easily undergoes sublimation. The compound is an example of a hypervalent sulfur compound called a sulfurane. As such, the sulfur adopts a see-saw structure, with a lone pair of electrons as the equatorial fifth coordinate of a trigonal bipyramid, like that of sulfur tetrafluoride $(SF_4).$ The compound is a reagent in organic synthesis. One application is for the dehydration of a secondary alcohol to give an alkene:

    $RCH(OH)CH_2R'$ + $Ph_2S[OC(CF_3)_2Ph]_2$ → RCH=CHR' + $Ph_2SO$ + 2 $HOC(CF_3)_2Ph$
