Catalytic enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to 1,3-dithian-2-yl substituted aliphatic aldehydes: a new approach to optically active 2-(hydroxyalkyl)-1,3-dithianes

Abstract

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-(hydroxyalkyl)-1,3-dithianes was achieved in good yields of up to 81% by using various 1,3-dithian-2-yl-substituted aliphatic aldehydes as substrates in the catalytic enantioselective addition of diethylzinc. With fair enantiomeric ratios of up to 85:15 in the enantiocontrolled ethylation step this synthetic approach provides an entry towards potential chiral building blocks.