Development of new methods for asymmetric synthesis based on sulfoximines

Abstract Sulfoximine‐substituted bis(allyl)titanium complexes, which are configurationally labile at the Cα‐atoms, have emerged as valuable reagents in asymmetric synthesis. Their highly selective reactions with aldehydes and N ‐sulfonyl imino esters allow the attainment of enantio‐ and diastereomerically pure sulfoximine‐substituted homoallylic alcohols and homoallylic amines, respectively, which are valuable starting materials for the asymmetric synthesis of homopropargylic alcohols, 2,3‐dihydrofurans, medium‐sized carbocycles and lactones, unsaturated mono‐ and bicyclic prolines, β‐amino acids, and vinyl oxiranes, respectively. The high synthetic versatility of the sulfoximine group stems from its ability to function as a chiral carbanion‐stabilizing nucleofuge. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 18:472–481, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20331