Chiral thiazolidines in the enantioselective ethylation of aldehydes: An experimental and computational study

d-Penicillamine and l-cysteine derived thiazolidines were obtained through a simple microwave procedure and used in the enantioselective alkylation of aldehydes with diethylzinc, giving (S) and (R) enantiomers of the product alcohols with ee up to 94%. NMR and computational studies gave important insight into the species involved in the catalytic cycle.162