Asymmetric Sulfinylations of N-Methylephedrine-Modified Tri- or Tetraalkyl Zincates by Symmetric Diaryl Sulfoxides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/ejoc.201701603

Diethylzinc was treated with 1 or 2 equiv. of AlkMgCl or PhMgBr (preferably) or with 1 equiv. of nBuLi (less efficiently) for forming species – plausibly zincates – which were sulfinylated by diaryl sulfoxides to give racemic alkyl aryl sulfoxides in yields reaching 100 %. Dialkylzinc reagents were also activated by treatments with 1 or 2 equiv. of an enantiomerically pure alkylmagnesium β-aminoalkoxide. This worked best when the alkoxide stemmed from a dialkylmagnesium reagent and an equimolar amount of N-methyl-(–)-ephedrine. This second activation mode allowed sulfinylations of what was originally the dialkylzinc reagent with diaryl sulfoxides. This generated alkyl aryl sulfoxides with enantiomeric ratios up to 93:7 in up to 100 % yield.