Catalytic enantioselective sulfinyl transfer using cinchona alkaloid catalysts.

[reaction: see text] Practical reaction conditions for the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of sulfinate esters are reported. Commercially available cinchona alkaloids were found to be superior catalysts for the sulfinyl transfer reaction of tert-butanesulfinyl chloride and a variety of benzyl alcohols. Sulfinyl transfer with 2,4,6-trichlorobenzyl alcohol and 10 mol % of the commercially available, inexpensive catalyst quinidine provided the pure sulfinate ester product in 92% isolated yield and with 90% ee.

Stereoselective synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted beta-amino alcohols by nucleophilic addition to N-tert-butanesulfinyl alpha-alkoxyaldimines.

N-tert-Butanesulfinyl alpha-alkoxyaldimines are readily prepared from protected (S)-lactals without epimerization at the alpha-stereocenter. Addition of ethyl and phenyl Grignard reagents, as well as the titanium enolate of methyl acetate, to the N-tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines provides 1,2-disubstituted beta-amino alcohols in good yields (73-98%) and with high diastereoselectivities. Either syn- or anti-amino alcohol products can be obtained by the appropriate choice of alcohol protecting groups and/or reaction conditions. Finally, deprotection of the addition products provides straightforward access to either syn- or anti-1,2-amino alcohols.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of sulfinate esters through the dynamic resolution of tert-butanesulfinyl chloride.

Development of a new synthetic route to obtain enantiomerically enriched tert-butanesulfinate esters in excellent yields through catalytic enantioselective sulfinyl transfer is described. As little as 0.5 mol % of chiral amine catalysts was used to couple racemic tert-butanesulfinyl chloride with arylmethyl alcohols to provide sulfinate esters in near quantitative yields and with enantiomeric excesses up to 81%. The method represents the first example of the catalytic dynamic resolution of sulfinyl derivatives.