Recent Developments in Vinylsulfonium and Vinylsulfoxonium Salt Chemistry

This review describes advances in the literature since 2000 in the area of reactions of vinylsulfonium and vinylsulfoxonium salts, with a particular emphasis on stereoselective examples. Although the chemistry of vinylsulfonium salts was first explored back in the 1950s, and that of vinylsulfoxonium salts in the early 1970s, there has been renewed interest in these compounds since the turn of the century. This has been largely due to an increased appreciation for the many synthetic possibilities associated with these valuable electrophiles. The development of improved routes to vinylsulfonium salts allowing for their in situ generation has played a part in accelerating their study. In general, reactions of the two sulfur salt classes follow a similar mechanistic pathway: initial conjugate addition of a nucleophile to the β-position, followed by protonation of an ylide intermediate, and cyclization of tethered anion to afford monocyclic or bicyclic product (e.g., cyclopropane, aziridine, oxazole, oxazolidinone, γ-lactam or γ-lactone). Alternatively, reactions involve formation of an ylide intermediate followed by intramolecular Johnson-Corey-Chaykovsky reaction (epoxidation or cyclopropanation), and subsequent cyclization to afford the desired bicyclic product (e.g., fused bicyclic epoxide or cyclopropane).