Vanadium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxidation of Sulfides Using Schiff Base Ligands Derived from beta-Amino Alcohols with Two Stereogenic Centers

Novel Schiff base ligands derived from beta-amino alcohols with two stereogenic centers were prepared and used in the preparation of optically pure sulfoxides by using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. A variety of sulfides were smoothly converted into the corresponding sulfoxides catalyzed by the chiral vanadium-Schiff base complex. Good yields (>80 %) with excellent enantioselectivities (>99 % ee) were obtained in most cases. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)