Mc. Aversa et al., beta-sulfinyl alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds from enantiomerically pure sulfenic acids, J ORG CHEM, 66(14), 2001, pp. 4845-4851
The addition of enantiopure sulfenic acids to oxoalkynes constitutes a new
and efficient methodology for the synthesis of beta -sulfinyl alpha,beta -u
nsaturated carbonyl compounds. Sulfenic acids 3 and 4 were generated by the
rmolysis of suitable precursors and trapped in situ by oxoalkynes 5, afford
ing (R-S, E)- and (S-S, E)-3-alkylsulfinyl-1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ones, 4-alky
lsulfinyl-3-buten-2-ones, and 3-[(1S)-isoborneol-10-sulfinyl]-2-propen 6 an
d 7 in good yields and in enantiomerically pure form after simple column ch
romathography. (R-S,E)-3-[(1S)-isoborneol-10-sulfinyl]-1-phenyl-2-propen-on
e (6(R)a) was involved as a heterodiene in inverse-electron-demanding Diels
-Alder reactions with readily available electron-rich dienophiles 14 and 15
, corroborating in each case the sulfinyl auxiliary capability in controlli
ng the stereochemical outcome of these cycloadditions. Furthermore, the add
ition of methylmagnesium iodide to the carbonyl moiety of 6Ra demonstrated
that the chiral sulfur atom exerts a remote stereocontrol in this reaction
if assisted by the hydroxy group being part of the isoborneol substituent.