An efficient Synthesis of enantiomerically pure cyclohex-2-enols from
the reaction of 2-p-tolylsulfinyl cyclohexanols with (CF3CO)(2)O/Py an
d subsequent hydrogenolysis of the C-S bond with Li/Naphthalene, is re
ported. This strategy has been applied to the asymmetric synthesis of
seudenol and 1-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol. New data on the rearrangement
of the trifluoroacetate group when 2-p-tolylsulfinyl-1-methylcyclohex
enols are treated under the Pummerer reaction conditions are also repo
rted.