Chemo-enzymatic preparation of optically active thiiranes

A simple method for the preparation of optically active 2-(arylsulfanylmethyl)thiiranes and 2-(aryloxymethyl)thiiranes from the corresponding 3-thiocyanatopropan-2-ols and their acetates was developed. The starting enantiomerically enriched β-thiocyanatoalcohols and the acetates were obtained by a lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of the appropriate racemic acetates.