Abstract
Sulfoximines have recently gained considerable recognition as an important structural
motif in the life sciences. This is especially true for (hetero)aryl-substituted S,S-dimethylsulfoximine derivatives, such as the marketed insecticide sulfoxaflor, as
well as the clinical candidates PTEFb inhibitor BAY 1143572 and ATR inhibitor AZD 6738
for the treatment of cancer. Herein, the first palladium-catalyzed direct α-arylation
of p-methoxybenzyl-protected S,S-dimethylsulfoximine using readily available (hetero)aryl bromides is reported. This
new method provides a safe, short, and efficient approach to (hetero)aryl-substituted
S,S-dimethylsulfoximine derivatives, an important class of bioactive compounds, demonstrated
by application of this methodology to an improved synthesis of PTEFb inhibitor BAY
1143572.
Key words
sulfoximines - palladium - cross-coupling - drug design - crop protecting agents