Organocatalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Tetrahydrothiophenes and Tetrahydrothiopyrans

Abstract

Tetrahydrothiophenes and tetrahydrothiopyrans are an important class of compounds both from synthetic and biological points of view and have attracted the attention of many synthetic chemists and biologists over the years. Their high synthetic utility and diverse distribution in nature have made tetrahydrothiophenes and tetrahydrothiopyrans privileged motifs in organic chemistry. The last decade has witnessed great exploration of organocatalytic domino methods for the synthesis of enantiopure tetrahydrothiophenes and tetrahydrothiopyrans containing multiple stereocentres. The application of new bidentate reagents containing sulfur moieties in the development of double Michael reactions has revolutionized their synthesis. This microreview highlights recent organocatalytic asymmetric approaches to the synthesis of tetrahydrothiophenes and tetrahydrothiopyrans and describes the advances that have been made over the years.