Highly enantioselective (OC)Ru(salen)-catalyzed sulfimidation using N-alkoxycarbonyl azide as nitrene precursor

Enantioselective imidation of alkyl aryl sulfides with N-alkoxycarbonyl azide as a nitrene precursor was effected by using (OC)Ru(salen) complex 1 as catalyst. The steric and electronic nature of the N-alkoxycarbonyl group was found to strongly affect the enantioselectivity and the reaction rate, and high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) and good chemical yields were achieved by using 2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-dimethylethoxycarbonyl azide as the nitrene precursor at room temperature.