The diastereoselective auxiliary-based intramolecular Michael-type
additions to alkylidene bissulfoxides derived from dithiane and
dithiolane were investigated. Utilization of substrates bearing
N- and O-nucleophilic functions led to the formation of the respective
cyclic substrates with selectivities ranging from 51:49 to 85:15.
Cleavage of the bissulfoxide moiety by a two-step sequence yielded
chiral carbaldehydes. The enantiomerically pure compounds obtained
by this procedure, for example, tetrahydropyran-2-carbaldehyde and
homopipecolic aldehyde, are hardly accessible by other routes. Both
enantiomers of the target molecules are available since the stereochemical
information is introduced with the readily available diethyl d- and l-tartrates.
nucleophilic additions - sulfoxides - thioacetals - umpolung - stereoelectronic effects