Polysulfane antitumor agents from o-benzyne. An odd-even alternation found in the stability of products o-C6H4Sx (x = 1-8).

Benzyne is shown to add elemental sulfur and give rise to a series of polysulfane compounds. A computational and experimental study is presented. Odd-membered o-C6H4Sx rings (x = 1-8), except x = 1, which suffers from ring strain, have enhanced stability compared to even-membered rings. The acquisition of "odd-even" data may shed new light, revealing patterns on polysulfane stability and structure. Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society