title: Catalytic (asymmetric) methylene transfer to aldehydes.
abstract: An investigation into the poor activity of sulfides as catalysts for sulfonium-ylide-mediated methylene transfer to aldehydes has indicated that ylide formation is the problematic catalytic cycle step. Alkylation with traditional electrophiles does not proceed with sufficient efficiency to allow the sulfide to be used catalytically. Methyl triflate rapidly alkylates cyclic thiolanes under mild conditions, allowing their use in efficient aldehyde epoxidation reactions (in conjunction with phosphazene bases) at loadings as low as 10 mol %.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piccinini
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Connon
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Connon
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000737:chemistry*; D000478:Alkylation; D002384:Catalysis; D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D008745:Methylation; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D013440:Sulfides