Titanium-salan-catalyzed asymmetric oxidation of sulfides and kinetic resolution of sulfoxides with H2O2 as the oxidant

Asymmetric oxidation of sufides to sulfoxides by aqueous hydrogen peroxide with catalysis by titanium-salan complexes is presented. Optically active sulfoxides have been obtained with good to high enantioselectivities (up to 97% eel by a tandem enantioselective oxidation and kinetic resolution procedure, the catalyst performing over 500 turnovers with no loss of enantioselectivity. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008).