Sulfoxide, diphenyl metal complexes

Chiral sulfoxides have emerged as versatile building blocks and chiral auxiliaries in the asymmetric synthesis of pharmaceutical products. The asymmetric oxidation of prochiral sulfides with chiral metal complexes has become one of the most effective routes to obtain these chiral sulfoxides.We have recently developed a new heterogeneous catalytic system (WO3-30% H2O2) which efficiently catalyzes both the asymmetric oxidation of a variety of thioethers (1) and the kinetic resolution of racemic sulfoxides (3), when used in the presence of cinchona alkaloids such as hydroquinidine 2,5-diphenyl-4,6-pyrimidinediyl diether [(DHQD)2-PYR], Optically active sulfoxides (2) are produced in high yields and with good enantioselectivities (Figure 9.3). ... 

Complexes of diphenyl sulfoxide exhibit S—O stretching frequencies ranging from 931 cm for Fe" to 1012cm for Mg". The IR spectra of the metal complexes of tetrahydrothiophene oxide (32) show that the complexes of Co", Ni" and Cu" are O-bonded, while those of the (b) class metal ions Pd" and Pt" are S-bonded. ... 

The arylsulfonium metal halide complex salts are not readily available. Triphenylsulfoniurn hexafluorophosphate can be prepared from diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate by heating with phenyl sulfide, as described by Knapczyk and McEwen ( ), or by reaction of phenyl magnesium bromide with diphenyl sulfoxide followed by reaction with hexafluorophosphoric acid according to the procedure of Wildi, Taylor and Potratz (60). 

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