Sulfoxides, asymmetric reduction configuration

Nitrones were the first as well as the most widely used dipoles in asymmetric cycloadditions. The first report on the use of enantiomerically pure vinylsulf-oxides as dipolarophiles was due to Koizumi et al. [153], who described in 1982 the reaction of (-R)-vinyl p-tolyl sulfoxide 1 with acyclic nitrones 191. The reactions required 20 h in refluxing benzene to be completed, yielding a mixture of only two compounds, 192 and 193 (Scheme 91). They exhibited identical endo or exo stereochemistry (which was not unequivocally assigned), deduced from the fact that their reduction yielded enantiomeric thioethers. The major component, 192, exhibits (S) configuration at C-3, determined by chemical correlation. The authors claim this paper [153] to be the first example of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition using chiral dipolarophiles. 

Asymmetric sulfinylation. The reaction of ketone enolates with this reagent (1) gives chiral sulfoxides. With the chelation assistance of the sulfinyl group the reduction of the ketones is stereoselective, and a subsequent thermolysis leads to allylic alcohols with an (/ ) configuration. 

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