Preparation of enantiomerically pure (E)-β-sulfinylenones from β-ketoesters

Enantiomerically pure (E)-β-sulfinylenones are smoothly prepared from β-ketoesters in three steps with good overall yield. Since they can be the substrates of many diastereoselective reactions, they represent versatile precursors of a wide range of chiral building blocks. We propose a rationale to explain the formation of (E)-β-sulfinylenones from the corresponding δ-enol-methylethers.