The sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx)
reaction is an emerging
scheme for connecting molecular building blocks. Due to its broad
functional group tolerance and rather stable resulting linkage, it
is seeing rapid adoption in various fields of chemistry. Still, to
date the reaction mechanism is poorly understood, which hampers further
development. Here, we show that the mechanism of the SuFEx reaction
for the prototypical example of methanesulfonyl fluoride reacting
with methylamine can be understood as an SN2-type reaction.
By analyzing the reaction path with the help of density functional
theory in vacuo and under consideration of solvent
and co-reactant influence, we identify the often used complementary
base as a crucial ingredient to lower the reaction barrier significantly
by increasing the nucleophilicity of the primary amine. With the help
of energy decomposition analysis at the transition state structures,
we quantify the underlying stereoelectronic effects and propose new
avenues for experimental exploration of the potential of SuFEx chemistry.