An ab initio and density functional theory study of the structure and bonding of sulfur ylides.

Sulfur ylides are useful synthetic intermediates that are formed from the interaction between singlet carbenes and sulfur-containing molecules. Partial double-bond character frequently has been proposed as a key contributor to the stability of sulfur ylides. Calculations at the B3LYP, MP2, and CCSD(T) levels of theory employing various basis sets have been performed on the sulfur ylides H(2)S-CH(2) and (CH(3))(2)S-CH(2) in order to investigate the structure and bonding of these systems.