Oxidation of Metal‐Coordinated Thioethers with Dimethyldioxirane—A New Stereoselective Synthesis of Chiral Sulfoxides

Abstract

A novel variant of the asymmetric oxidation of prochiral thioethers yields chiral sulfoxides with selectivities of up to 98% de. The thioether is first coordinated to an enantiomerically pure auxiliary and then oxidized in the coordination sphere with dimethyldioxirane [Eq. (a)]. Smooth decomplexation is achieved with Nal.