Asymmetric cyclopropanation of chiral (1-phosphoryl)vinyl sulfoxides: A new approach to constrained analogs of biologically active compounds

Abstract This account outlines the results obtained in the author's laboratory on the asymmetric cyclopropanation of enantiopure 1-phosphorylvinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides with sulfur ylides and diazoalkanes. Based on experimental results and theoretical calculations, the transition-state model for asymmetric cyclopropanation is proposed. A great synthetic value of the reaction investigated is exemplified by the total synthesis of constrained analogs of bioactive compounds, namely, enantiopure cyclic analog of phaclofen and cyclopropylphosphonate analogs of nucleotides.