Organocatalytic Enantioselective Sulfa-Michael Additions to α,β-Unsaturated Diazoketones

Enantioselective sulfa-Michael additions to α,β unsaturated diazocarbonyl compounds have been developed. Quinine-derived squaramide was found to be the best catalyst to promote C–S bond formation in a highly stereoselective fashion for alkyl and aryl thiols. The easy-to-follow protocol allowed the preparation of 22 examples in enantiomeric ratios up to 97:3 and reaction yields up to 94%. The mechanism and origins of enantioselectivity were determined through density functional theory (DFT) calculations.