Enantiopure sulfoxides are valuable precursors of organosulfur compounds with broad application in organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. An unprecedented strategy for obtaining highly enantioenriched sulfoxides based on a hydrogenative kinetic resolution using Rh-complexes of phosphine-phosphite ligands as catalysts is reported. After optimization, highly efficient conditions for the kinetic resolution of racemic sulfoxides have been identified. This methodology has been applied to a set of racemic aralkyl or aryl vinyl sulfoxides and allowed the isolation of both recovered and reduced products in excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99% and 97% ee, respectively; 16 examples).
Hydrogenative Kinetic Resolution of Vinyl Sulfoxides
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 4114-4117.
*Highlighted in Synfacts 2015, 11 (11), 1184 and ChemInform 2016, 47 02-28