Oxidation Products of 1,2,3-Trithia[3]ferrocenophane:  Structures of the Corresponding Sulfoxide and Sulfone

Oxidation of 1,2,3-trithia[3]ferrocenophane 1 by 3-chloroperoxobenzoic acid at 25 °C in dichloromethane yields the corresponding sulfoxide 2 and the sulfone 3 depending on the molar ratio. The oxidation takes place at one of the terminal sulfur atoms exclusively; the remarkably stable trisulfane-1-oxide 2 can easily be reduced to the trisulfane 1.