Chiral sulfoxides are extensively used in synthesis of chiral drugs, total synthesis of natural products and organic synthesis. Among them, chiral sulfoxide drugs in market or under research mostly have nitrogen-containing substructures. In common titanium catalysts have better catalytic property in asymmetric oxidation of these nitrogencontaining sulfide precursors than other catalysts. The ligands of these titanium catalysts have tartarate, BINOL and other diols, salens and others. Proton pump inhibitors, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-cancer drugs, antibiotics, platelet adhesion inhibitors, antipsychotic drugs, lipid regulators, potassium channel openers, neurokinin inhibitors and so on are valuable chiral sulfoxide drugs. The research advances of synthesis of various chiral sulfoxide drugs catalyzed by titanium are described in this review.
Keywords: Titanium catalyst, asymmetric catalysis, sulfide oxidation; chiral sulfoxides, chiral drugs.