Chiral Lithiated Allylic α‐Sulfonyl Carbanions: Experimental and Computational Study of Their Structure,Configurational Stability,and Enantioselective Synthesis

X‐ray crystal structure analysis of the lithiated allylic α‐sulfonyl carbanions CH₂?CHC(Me)SO₂Ph]Li ? diglyme, cC₆H₈SO₂tBu]Li ? PMDETA and cC₇H₁₀SO₂tBu]Li ? PMDETA showed dimeric and monomeric CIPs, having nearly planar anionic C atoms, only O?Li bonds, almost planar allylic units with strong C?C bond length alternation and the s‐trans conformation around C1?C2. They adopt a C1?S conformation, which is similar to the one generally found for alkyl and aryl substituted α‐sulfonyl carbanions. Cryoscopy of EtCH?CHC(Et)SO₂tBu]Li in THF at 164 K revealed an equilibrium between monomers and dimers in a ratio of 83:17, which is similar to the one found by low temperature NMR spectroscopy. According to NMR spectroscopy the lone‐pair orbital at C1 strongly interacts with the C?C double bond. Low temperature ⁶Li,¹H NOE experiments of EtCH?CHC(Et)SO₂tBu]Li in THF point to an equilibrium between monomeric CIPs having only O?Li bonds and CIPs having both O?Li and C1?Li bonds. Ab initio calculation of MeCH?CHC(Me)SO₂Me]Li ? (Me₂O)₂ gave three isomeric CIPs having the s‐trans conformation and three isomeric CIPs having the s‐cis conformation around the C1?C2 bond. All s‐trans isomers are more stable than the s‐cis isomers. At all levels of theory the s‐trans isomer having O?Li and C1?Li bonds is the most stable one followed by the isomer which has two O?Li bonds. The allylic unit of the C,O,Li isomer shows strong bond length alternation and the C1 atom is in contrast to the O,Li isomer significantly pyramidalized. According to NBO analysis of the s‐trans and s‐cis isomers, the interaction of the lone pair at C1 with the π* orbital of the CC double bond is energetically much more favorable than that with the “empty” orbitals at the Li atom. The C1?S and C1?C2 conformations are determined by the stereoelectronic effects n_C–σ_SR* interaction and allylic conjugation. ¹H DNMR spectroscopy of racemic EtCH?CHC(Et)SO₂tBu]Li, iPrCH?CHC(iPr)SO₂tBu]Li and EtCH?C(Me)C(Et)SO₂tBu]Li in D₈]THF gave estimated barriers of enantiomerization of ΔG^≠=13.2 kcal mol^?1 (270 K), 14.2 kcal mol^?1 (291 K) and 14.2 kcal mol^?1 (295 K), respectively. Deprotonation of sulfone (R)‐EtCH?CHCH(Et)SO₂tBu (94 % ee) with nBuLi in THF at ?105 °C occurred with a calculated enantioselectivity of 93 % ee and gave carbanion (M)‐EtCH?CHC(Et)SO₂tBu]Li, the deuteration and alkylation of which with CF₃CO₂D and MeOCH₂I, respectively, proceeded with high enantioselectivities. Time‐dependent deuteration of the enantioenriched carbanion (M)‐EtCH?CHC(Et)SO₂tBu]Li in THF gave a racemization barrier of ΔG^≠=12.5 kcal mol^?1 (168 K), which translates to a calculated half‐time of racemization of t_1/2=12 min at ?105 °C.