Optically active sulphinates with the sulphur atom as a sole centre at chirality are prepared by two methods. The first involves the reaction of symmetrical sulphites with tert-butylmagnesium chloride in the presence of optically active aminoalcohols. This new asymmetric, enantioselective synthesis affords t-butylsulphinates with 40–70% enantiomeric excess values. The second approach is based on a