Esters sulfinylation

Sulfoxides occur widely in small concentrations in plant and animal tissues, eg, aHyl vinyl sulfoxide [81898-53-5] in garlic oil and 2,2 -sulfinylbisethanol [3085-45-8] as fatty esters in the adrenal cortex (1,2). Homologous methyl sulfinyl alkyl isothiocyanates, which are represented by the formula CH3SO(CH2) NCS, where n = 3 [37791-20-1], 4 [4478-93-7], 5 [646-23-1], 8 [75272-81-0], 9 [39036-83-4], or 10 [39036-84-5], have been isolated from a number of mustard oils in which they occur as glucosides (3). Two methylsulfinyl amino acids have also been reported methionine sulfoxide [454-41-1] from cockroaches and the sulfoxide of i -methylcysteine, 3-(methylsulfinyl)alaiiine [4740-94-7]. The latter is the dominant sulfur-containing amino acid in turnips and may account in part for their characteristic odor (4). 

More recently, Davis and co-workers developed a new method for the asymmetric syntheses of aziridine-2-carboxylates through the use of an aza-Darzens-type reaction between sulfinimines (N-sulfinyl imines) and a-haloenolates [62-66]. The reaction is highly efficient, affording cis- N-sulfmylaziridine-2-carboxylic esters in high yield and diastereoselectivity. This method has been used to prepare a variety of aziridines with diverse ring and nitrogen substituents. As an example, treatment of sulfinimine (Ss)-55 (Scheme 3.18) with the lithium enolate of tert-butyl bromoacetate gave aziridine 56 in 82% isolated yield [66],... 

The a-sulfinyl carbanion attacks a-halocarboxylic acid esters at the carboxylic carbon atom, not at the a-carbon atom, and the corresponding ketones are obtained slereoselectively in high yield62. 

Optically active substituted alkylidene cyclohexanes were prepared from sulfinyl esters (obtained by carboxylation of sulfinyl anions) by thermolytic elimination of the sulfinyl group65. 

The big difference between the extent of asymmetric induction on the addition to a prostereogenic carbonyl group of simple carbanions a to a chiral sulfoxide on the one hand and enolates of sulfinyl esters on the other, can be attributed to the capacity of the ester function to chelate magnesium in the transition states and intermediates. The results already described for the addition of chiral thioacetal monosulfoxide to aldehydes (see Section 1.3.6.5.) underscore the importance of other functions, e.g., sulfide, for the extent of asymmetric induction. 

The anions of (/ )-a-sulfinyl ketimines undergo 1,4-addition to cyclic a./Tunsaturated esters and then cyclization to give predominately c/.v-fused annulation products243. These studies have been extended to include acyclic a,/l-unsaturated esters 24b,c. 

Schneider and Simon82 prepared / -ketosulfoxides 47a and 47b by sulfinylation of the dianions of the methyl acetoacetates 48a and 48b with sulfinate ester 19 followed by decarboxylation of the intermediate products (Scheme 2). Apparently this avoids racemiz-ation experienced by others in the direct synthesis of these compounds9. /J-Ketosulfoxides are also available from the reaction of the anion derived from methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide with esters (see Section II.E). They can also be obtained, in some cases, through the hydrolysis of a-sulfinylhydrazones whose synthesis is described below. Mention has already been made of the synthesis of 2-p-tolylsulfinylcycloalkanones such as 32. 

Esters and amides may be sulfinylated. Addition of a mixture of t-butyl acetate and sulfinate ester 19 to a THF-ether solution of magnesium diisopropylamide led to the formation of (R)-(+)-f-butyl p-toluenesulfinylacetate (49) in 90% yield (equation 14)7. t-Butyl propanoate and butanoate also underwent this sulfinylation to give 50 and 51 in yields of 68 and 45%, respectively83. The diastereomeric ratio was 1 1 for 50 and 3 7 for 51. These esters may also be obtained by alkylation of 49. Similarly, treatment of a-lithio-A, A -dimethylacetamide with sulfinate ester 19 gave (R)-( + )-N, Ar-dimethyl-p-toluene-sulfinylacetamide (52) (equation 15)84. 

Enolates derived from various imino compounds have been sulfinylated in reactions analogous to those shown by equations (14) and (15). Some representative examples are shown in equations 16-18. Here again, these compounds have been utilized in asymmetric syntheses. Addition of sulfinate ester 19 to a THF suspension of a-lithio-N,N-dimethylhydrazones, derived from readily available hydrazones of aldehydes and ketones, leads to a-sulfinylhydrazones in good yield, e.g. 53 and 54 (equations 16 and 17)85,86. Compounds 53 and 54 were obtained in a 95/5 and 75/25 E/Z ratio, respectively. The epimer ratio of compound 53 was 55/45. Five other examples were reported with various E/Z and epimeric ratios. 

Various sulfur compounds have been sulfinylated by treatment of the appropriate carbanion with sulfinate ester 19. Compounds 5992,6093,6194 and 6295 were prepared in this way, /i-disulfoxides (63) have also been prepared, as shown earlier by equation (8). 

Although carbanionic and enolate species are most often sulfinylated using sulfinate esters, particularly homochiral ester 19, other tricoordinate S(IV) compounds may be used in their place. Sulfinamides (66) and cyclic sulfite ester-amides (67) are two examples of such compounds. 

Sharpless and Klunder22 are developing a new procedure for conversion of sulfonyl chlorides directly into menthyl sulflnate esters using trimethyl phosphite as a reducing agent (equation 2). This method, starting with sulfonyl chlorides rather than with the much less available sulfinyl chlorides, should allow access to an even wider range of sulfinate esters and, ultimately, to various chiral, non-racemic sulfoxides. 

Also, sulfinyl chlorides (precursors to sulfinate esters) have recently been prepared directly from disulfides (equation 3)23. 

Enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of some racemic co-arenesulfinylalkanoic methyl esters, ArSO(CH2) COOMe, using Corynebacterium equi has led to a kinetic resolution in which the unreacted sulfinyl esters are enriched in one enantiomer at the sulfoxide center49. The enantiomeric purity of unreacted sulfinyl acetates and propionate ranges from 90 to 97%. 

Mikolajczyk and coworkers have summarized other methods which lead to the desired sulfmate esters These are asymmetric oxidation of sulfenamides, kinetic resolution of racemic sulfmates in transesterification with chiral alcohols, kinetic resolution of racemic sulfinates upon treatment with chiral Grignard reagents, optical resolution via cyclodextrin complexes, and esterification of sulfinyl chlorides with chiral alcohols in the presence of optically active amines. None of these methods is very satisfactory since the esters produced are of low enantiomeric purity. However, the reaction of dialkyl sulfites (33) with t-butylmagnesium chloride in the presence of quinine gave the corresponding methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl and n-butyl 2,2-dimethylpropane-l-yl sulfinates (34) of 43 to 73% enantiomeric purity in 50 to 84% yield. This made available sulfinate esters for the synthesis of t-butyl sulfoxides (35). 

Active methylene compounds may be sulfinylated by reaction of their enolate anions with sulfinate ester . This reaction has been investigated much in recent years and the compounds resulting from it have been of considerable use in asymmetric synthesis (see the chapter by Posner). Examples of the sulfinylation are given in the following paragraphs. 

The reaction between the carbanion formed by treatment of optically active a-sulfinyl-ester 153, with t-BuMgBr and carbonyl compounds, gives )S-hydroxyester 154 in high optical yields . 

This reagent combination also converts carboxylic acids to acyl chlorides (see Section 3.4.1). The mechanistic basis for the special effectiveness of benzotriazole has not yet been determined, but it seems likely that nucleophilic catalysis is involved. Sulfinyl ester intermediates may be involved, because Z-2-butene-l,4-diol gives a cyclic sulfite ester with one equivalent of reagent but the dichloride with two equivalents. 

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