The reactivity of (E)- and (Z)-1-fluorobuta-1,3-diene ((E)- and (Z)-11), 2-fluorobutadiene (12). (E)and (Z)-1-(fluoromethylidene)-2-methylidenecyclohexane ((E)- and (Z)-13) toward SO2 has been explored and compared with that of (Z)- and (E)-1-(fluoromethylidene)-2-methylidene-3,4- dihydronaphthalene ((Z)-8 and (E)-8). In agreement with quantum calculations, 12 is unreactive toward SO2 (no cycloaddition, only polymerization), whereas (E)-1-fluoro-1,3-dienes react more rapidly than their (Z)-isomers to give the corresponding 6-fluorosultines following the endo (Alder rule) mode of hetero-Diels-Alder addition. No sulfolene has been observed following the cheletropic mode of addition with the fluorodienes, in contrast to other substituted dienes. In agreement with the calculations, cis-2-fluoro-3,4-oxathiabenzobicyclo[4.4.0]dec-1(6),9-diene-4-oxide (cis-9, the sultine obtained by SO2 addition to (Z)-8 under conditions of kinetic control) adopts a sofa conformation with the oxygen atom of the ring lying in the average plane of the four carbon atoms of its sultine moiety when it is in the crystalline state at - 100degreesC. A similar sofa conformation was found for its trans-isomer. trans-9, obtained by isomerization of cis-9 or by hetero-Diels-Alder addition of SO2 to (E)-8. Experiments (equilibrium constant for hetero-Diels-Alder additions, bond lengths, and bond angles in crystalline fluorosultines cis-9 and trans-9) and high-level quantum calculations on cis-9 and trans-6-fluoro-3,6-dihydro-1,2-oxathiin-2-oxide (cis- and trans-20) confirm the existence of a stabilizing, enthalpic, anomeric (gem-disubstitution by sulfinyloxy and fluoro groups) effect, which is interpreted in terms of (lone pair) n(O1)-->sigma*(C-F) hyperconjugative interactions. This effect is strongest in the sofa conformers with a gauche arrangement of the sigma(O1,S2) and sigma(C6,F) bonds. The calculations suggest also that n(O1)-->sigma*(S2,O2'), pi*(S=O). and n(S2)-->sigma*(O1,C6) interactions intervene and affect the relative stability of the conformers (sofa, boat, pseudo-chair) found for 6-fluorosultines cis- and trans-20.