Medium-Sized Cyclic Ethers via Stevens [1,2]-Shift of Mixed Monothioacetal-Derived Sulfonium Ylides: Application to Formal Synthesis of (+)-Laurencin.

A novel approach to medium-sized cyclic ethers was devised using a Stevens [1,2]-shift of a sulfonium ylide derived from a readily accessible six-membered mixed-monothioacetal precursor. The concise and efficient transformation offers a surprising degree of chirality transfer with observed retention of stereochemical configuration on the anomeric migrating carbon and has been applied as the key step in an enantioselective formal synthesis of (+)-laurencin.