Sulphoxides synthesis

Some limitations of the subject surveyed have been necessary in order to keep the size of the chapter within the reasonable bounds. Accordingly, to make it not too long and readable, the discussion of the methods of the sulphoxide synthesis will be divided into three parts. In the first part, all the general methods of the synthesis of sulphoxides will be briefly presented. In the second one, methods for the preparation of optically active sulphoxides will be discussed. The last part will include the synthetic procedures leading to functionalized sulphoxides starting from simple dialkyl or arylalkyl sulphoxides. In this part, however, the synthesis of achiral, racemic and optically active sulphoxides will be treated together. Each section and subsection includes, where possible, some considerations of mechanistic aspects as well as short comments on the scope and limitations of the particular reaction under discussion. 

The oldest and generally applied sulphoxide synthesis consists of the oxidation of sulphides to sulphoxides. This reaction was reported for the first time by Marcker9 as early as 1865. He found that treatment of dibenzyl sulphide with nitric acid afforded the corresponding dibenzyl sulphoxide in a high yield. Since that time the oxidation of... 

The Andersen sulphoxide synthesis is general in scope and a large number of chiral alkyl aryl and diaryl sulphoxides became available from (—)-(S)-276 and other optically active sulphinates343-346 (Table 16). 

Further utility of the Andersen sulphoxides synthesis is demonstrated by the preparation of optically active unsaturated sulphoxides which were first prepared by Stirling and coworkers359 from sulphinate 276 and the appropriate vinylic Grignard reagents. Later on, Posner and Tang360 prepared in a similar way a series of ( )-l-alkenyl p-tolyl sulphoxides. Posner s group accomplished also the synthesis of (+)-(S)-2-(p-tolylsulphinyl)-2-cyclopentenone 287, which is a key compound in the chiral synthesis of various natural products361 (equation 159). 

The Andersen sulphoxide synthesis allows one also to synthesize a variety of a-heteroatom substituted sulphoxides starting from a-heteroatom stabilized carbanions and (—)-(S)-276. The selected examples shown in Scheme 3 are the best illustration of the generality of this approach. The reaction of enolates or enolate like species with (—)-(S)-276 has been used for the synthesis of optically active a-carbalkoxy sulphoxides. For example, treatment of (—)-(S)-276 with the halogenomagnesium enolates of -butyl acetate, t-butyl propionate or t-butyl butyrate resulted in the formation of ( + )-(R)-t-butyl p-toluenesulphinylcarboxylates 298367 (equation 163). 

Aryl-3-oxo-1 -alkenyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 282, 283 Aryloxysulphoxonium salts 941-943 synthesis of 280 Aryl radicals 879... 

Arylsulphonyl radicals 879 Arylthiomethyl sulphoxides, reactions of 331 / -Arylthiovinyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 345 Aryl unsaturated alkyl sulphones, mass spectra of 137-143... 

Aryl vinyl sulphones, reactions of 646 Aryl vinyl sulphoxides 620 optical resolution of 287 reactions of 354, 355, 360, 361, 621 Asscher-Vofsi reaction 189 Asymmetric induction 625 Asymmetric oxidation 72-78 Asymmetric reduction 78, 79 Asymmetric synthesis 824-846 Atomic orbitals 2, 3 Azetidinones 790, 791 ot-Azidoaldehydes, synthesis of 811 Azidosulphones, photolysis of 883, 884 Azosulphones, photolysis of 879 Azoxysulphones, photolysis of 879 1-Azulyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 265... 

Dienes, synthesis of 731, 953, 956 Dienoic acids, synthesis of 675 Dienones, synthesis of 780 Dienyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 279, 810, 959... 

Dihydrodithiin sulphoxides, synthesis of 243 Dihydrothiophene dioxides, reactions of 653 /(,/( -Dihydroxyketones 619 Dimerization, photochemical 877, 884 Dimethyl sulphoxide anion of - see Dimsyl anion hydrogen bonding with alcohols and phenols 546-552 oxidation of 981, 988 photolysis of 873, 874, 988 radiolysis of 890-909, 1054, 1055 self-association of 544-546 Dimsyl anion... 

Ketene thioacetals 619 a-Ketoacylamides, synthesis of 615 a-Ketocarbothioates 635 a-Ketocycloalkyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 261... 

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