Asymmetric Synthesis of Tertiary Alcohols and Thiols via Nonstabilized Tertiary α‐Oxy‐ and α‐Thio‐Substituted Organolithium Species

Nonstabilized α‐O‐substituted tertiary organolithium species are difficult to generate, and the α‐S‐substituted analogues are configurationally unstable. We now report that they can both be generated easily and trapped with a range of electrophiles with high enantioselectivity, providing ready access to a range of enantioenriched tertiary alcohols and thiols. The configurational stability of the α‐S‐organolithium species was enhanced by using a less coordinating solvent and short reaction times.