Enantiomeric N-tert-Butylsulfinyl Imines of Methyl Trifluoropyruvate: Promising Building Blocks in Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Trifluoromethylated Amino Acids and Derivatives

A convenient synthetic method for (R)- and (S)-N-tert-butylsulfinyl imines of methyl trifluoropyruvate has been developed. The synthetic potentialities of these chiral building blocks for the preparation of nonracemic trifluoroalanines, trifluoromethylated amino alcohols, β-nitro-α-amino acids, and pyrrolinone carboxylic acid derivatives have been demonstrated.