Bisguanidinium dinuclear oxodiperoxomolybdosulfate ion pair-catalyzed enantioselective sulfoxidation

Abstract Catalytic use of peroxomolybdate for asymmetric transformations has attracted increasing attention due to its catalytic properties and application in catalysis. Herein, we report chiral bisguanidinium dinuclear oxodiperoxomolybdosulfate [ BG ] 2+ [(μ-SO 4 )Mo 2 O 2 (μ-O 2 ) 2 (O 2 ) 2 ] 2− ion pair, as a catalyst for enantioselective sulfoxidation using aqueous H 2 O 2 as the terminal oxidant. The ion pair catalyst is isolatable, stable and useful for the oxidation of a range of dialkyl sulfides. The practical utility was illustrated using a gram-scale synthesis of armodafinil, a commercial drug, with the catalyst generated in situ from 0.25 mol% of bisguanidinium and 2.5 mol% of Na 2 MoO 4 ·2H 2 O. Structural characterization of this ion pair catalyst has been successfully achieved using single-crystal X-ray crystallography.