Diastereoselectivity of up to 88% was achieved for the synthesis of an alph
a -mercapto gamma -unsaturated phosphonate using the readily available chir
al dimenthylphosphonyl ester group and a carbanionic [2,3]-sigmatropic rear
rangement, Absolute configuration of the newly formed chiral center of this
nonracemic thiol was determined, and the corresponding phosphono thiolane
and thiolane S-oxide were also stereoselectively prepared.