Transition-metal-catalyzed C–N cross-coupling reactions of N-unsubstituted sulfoximines: a review

In recent years, N-functionalized sulfoximines have attracted the significant attention of medicinal chemists due to their wide spectrum of biological activities. This class of organosulfur compounds has also found a number of applications in agricultural chemistry. In addition to these benefits, sulfoximines are one of the most important and versatile chiral auxiliaries and ligands in asymmetric syntheses. As a result of these, numerous efforts have been devoted to the development of effective strategies towards the synthesis of N-functionalized sulfoximines. An efficient, practical, and versatile strategy for the synthesis of titled compounds involves the transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of easily accessible NH-sulfoximines with various electrophilic partners. In this review, we highlight a number of recent discoveries and advances in this interesting and important research arena. The N-alkylation reactions are discussed first. This is followed by metal-catalyzed N-alkenylation and N-alkynylation reactions. Finally, N-arylation reactions will be covered at the end of the review.