Rhodium(i)-catalyzed C–S bond formation via enantioselective carbenoid S–H insertion: catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-thioesters

Abstract

Asymmetric construction of C–S bonds through transition-metal catalysis is a challenging subject. By using chiral diene as the ligand, we have developed the first rhodium(I)-catalyzed asymmetric carbene insertion approach for C–S bond formation to access sulfur-substituted stereocenters under mild conditions, allowing the facile synthesis of a range of potentially valuable α-thioesters in high yields with moderate to good enantioselectivities.