Ru(CO)-salen-catalyzed synthesis of enantiopure aziridinyl ketones and formal asymmetric synthesis of (+)-PD 128907.

Aziridination of vinyl ketones using SESN(3) in the presence Ru(CO)-salen complex 1 provides the enantiopure aziridinyl ketones that can serve as useful chiral building blocks. A formal asymmetric synthesis of (+)-PD 128907 was achieved in an eight-step sequence via aziridination.