Patent ID: 7169952

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a sulfonamide of formula II: comprising reacting at elevated temperature at least the following: (1) an aniline of formula I: with (2) a sulfonating agent A of the formula R 1 —SO 2 -Z in the presence of (3) a catalytic amount of: (i) an amide B-1 or (ii) a high boiling tertiary amine B-2; wherein: B-1 is other than N,N-dimethylformamide; X and Y in both formulae I and II and Z are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halo, alkyl, haloalkyl, amino, nitro, alkoxy, hydroxy, anhydridyl, alkylthio, arylthio, aryloxy, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, and substituted or unsubstituted aryl, the substituents of said substituted aryl comprising one or more members selected from the group consisting of halo, C 1-20 alkyl, C 1-20 alkoxy, nitro, amino, amido, alkylthio, aryl, arylthio, aryloxy, alkylsulfonyl, and arylsulfonyl; R in both formulae I and II is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, aryloxy, substituted or unsubstituted aryl and substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclyl, the substituents of said substituted aryl or heterocyclyl comprising one or more members selected from the group consisting of halo, C 1-20 alkyl, C 1-20 alkoxy, nitro, amino, amido, alkylthio, aryl, arylthio, aryloxy, alkylsulfonyl, and arylsulfonyl; and, R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, and aryl.