Enantioselective synthesis of chiral sulfones by hydrogen-bonding/organophotoredox co-catalyzed asymmetric sulfonylation

Abstract

Enantioselective sulfonylation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds from sulfur dioxide is achieved via the synergistic merger of photoredox and hydrogen bonding catalysis. This approach provides a facile route to enantioenriched sulfones in the absence of transition metals by using DABCO·(SO₂)₂ as the sulfur dioxide surrogate. With this method, a variety of sulfones bearing a chiral centre at the α-position are prepared in moderate to good yields.