Highly Efficient Asymmetric Simmons–Smith Cyclopropanation Promoted by Chiral Heteroorganic Aziridinyl Ligands

Enantiomerically pure heteroorganic catalysts, bearing a hydroxy moiety, a stereogenic sulfinyl group, and a chiral aziridine moiety, have proved highly efficient in the asymmetric Simmons–Smith cyclopropanation of allylic alcohols, which generates the desired products in high yields (up to 95 %) and with ee values up to 94 %. The effect of the stereogenic centers at the sulfinyl sulfur atom and in the aziridine moiety on the stereochemical course of the title reaction is discussed.