Nucleophilic Substitution at Tricoordinate Sulfur-Alkaline Hydrolysis of Optically Active Dialkoxysulfonium Salts: Stereochemistry, Mechanism and Reaction Energetics.

Optically active dialkoxyisopropylsulfonium salts were obtained by methylation (ethylation) of optically active alkyl isopropanesulfinates using methyl (ethyl) trifluoromethanesulfonate. Alkaline hydrolysis of a series of methoxy(alkoxy)sulfonium salts afforded the two sulfinate products methyl isopropanesulfinate and alkyl isopropanesulfinate, both formed with a slightly prevailing inversion of configuration at the sulfur atom. DFT calculations revealed that this substitution reaction proceeded stepwise according to an addition-elimination (A-E) mechanism involving the formation of high tetracoordinate S sulfurane intermediates. In addition, the DFT calculations showed that recombination of the hydroxy anion with the methoxy(alkoxy)sulfonium cation-leading to the parallel formation of the two most stable primary sulfuranes, with the hydroxy and alkoxy groups in apical positions and their direct decomposition-is the most energetically favorable pathway.