Design of N-cinnamyl sulfinamides as new sulfur-containing olefin ligands for asymmetric catalysis: achieving structural simplicity with a categorical linear framework.

The design and development of an extraordinarily interesting new class of chiral sulfur-olefin hybrid ligands with remarkable structural simplicity were described. These unique sulfinamide-olefin ligands have been proved to be highly effective ligands in rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition reactions of aryl boronic acids to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (up to 99% yield and 98% ee).