Sulfoxid 2-Amino-alkyl -

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). 

The kinetics of formation and hydrolysis of /-C H OCl have been investigated (262). The chemistry of alkyl hypochlorites, /-C H OCl in particular, has been extensively explored (247). /-Butyl hypochlorite reacts with a variety of olefins via a photoinduced radical chain process to give good yields of aUyflc chlorides (263). Steroid alcohols can be oxidized and chlorinated with /-C H OCl to give good yields of ketosteroids and chlorosteroids (264) (see Steroids). /-Butyl hypochlorite is a more satisfactory reagent than HOCl for /V-chlorination of amines (265). Sulfides are oxidized in excellent yields to sulfoxides without concomitant formation of sulfones (266). 2-Amino-1, 4-quinones are rapidly chlorinated at room temperature chlorination occurs specifically at the position adjacent to the amino group (267). Anhydropenicillin is converted almost quantitatively to its 6-methoxy derivative by /-C H OCl in methanol (268). Reaction of unsaturated hydroperoxides with /-C H OCl provides monocyclic and bicycHc chloroalkyl 1,2-dioxolanes. 

Colona and coworkers oxidized a variety of alkyl aryl and heterocyclic sulfides to the sulfoxides using t-butyl hydroperoxide and a catalytic amount of a complex (97) derived from a transition metal and the imines of L-amino acids. Of the metals (M = TiO, Mo02, VO, Cu, Co, Fe), titanium gave the highest e.e. (21%), but molybdenum was the most efficient catalyst. The sulfoxides were accompanied by considerable sulfone125. 

Several alkyl aryl sulfides were electrochemically oxidized into the corresponding chiral sulfoxides using poly(amino acid)-coated electrodes448. Although the levels of enan-tioselection were quite variable, the best result involved t-butyl phenyl sulfoxide which was formed in 93% e.e. on a platinum electrode doubly coated with polypyrrole and poly(L-valine). Cyclodextrin-mediated m-chloroperbenzoic acid oxidation of sulfides proceeds with modest enantioselectivity44b. 

It must be stressed, however, that the methyl alkyl sulfoxide rule is not valid for alkyl benzyl and alkyl allyl sulfoxides (222-224), where the electronic, steric, and solvent effects exert influences on the chiroptical phenomena in a way that is difficult to rationalize. This rule was found to be satisfactory and was used for the assignment of absolute configurations of steroidal (200,201,225), penicillin (226), and amino acid (227-230) sulfoxides. 

Alkyl aryl sulfides were anodically oxidized to the corresponding chiral sulfoxides by using poly(amino acid[-coated electrodes. Partially very high enantioselec-tivities (93% ee) were reported [374, 375] however, the reproducibility depended strongly on the lot of the poly(amino acid) used [376]. Earlier, with a similar approach, by using an edge surface graphite anode that was chemically modified with (.S )-phenylalanine, an enantioselectivity of 0.5 to 2.5% was found in the oxidation of methylp-tolyl sulfide to the sulfoxide [377]. 

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