Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of sulfinate esters through the dynamic resolution of tert-butanesulfinyl chloride.

Development of a new synthetic route to obtain enantiomerically enriched tert-butanesulfinate esters in excellent yields through catalytic enantioselective sulfinyl transfer is described. As little as 0.5 mol % of chiral amine catalysts was used to couple racemic tert-butanesulfinyl chloride with arylmethyl alcohols to provide sulfinate esters in near quantitative yields and with enantiomeric excesses up to 81%. The method represents the first example of the catalytic dynamic resolution of sulfinyl derivatives.