The aldol-type condensation of enantiomericallypure α-sulphinylacetamides is described. The stereochemical outcome of the reaction mainly depends on the nature of the base used to generate the enolate. Experimental evidences allow the identification of preferred reaction paths.
optically active cyanomethyl aryl sulfoxides with aceticanhydride gave the corresponding α-acetoxy sulfides which were induced with a partial asymmetry nearly 30% at α-carbon, while the 18O-label of the original sulfoxides was retained in more than 85% in the resulting ester, the Pummerer reaction product. Kinetic experiments with cyanomethyl (p-substituted phenyl) sulfoxides and α,α-dideuterated cyanomethyl
Asymmetric synthesis (up to 99%) of β-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylacetamides was achieved starting from aldehydes and an optically active sulphoxide containing synthon, the sense of chiral discrimination depending on the intermediate metal enolate.