The reaction of TiCl(OPr) (n = 0, 2, 4) with various terpenoid preligands based on α-pinene, CHMe(OH)(NCHCHG) (G = NH, I; NHMe, II; OH, III), stereoselectively affords a series of new chiral titanium(IV) complexes. Such complexes are either octahedral, [TiClX(OCHMeNCHCHG-κN,N,O)] (X = Cl, G = NH, 1; X = OPr, G = NH, 2; G = NHMe, 3), or trigonal bipyramidal, [Ti(OPr)(OCHMeNCHCHG-κN,O)] (G = NH, 4; NHMe, 5) and [TiX(OPr)(OCHMeNCHCHO-κN,O,O∗)] (X = Cl, 6; OPr, 8), depending on the acidity of titanium, the reaction conditions and the nature of the pendant ending group of the terpenoid ligand. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to assess the stability of the multiple possible diastereoisomers allowing us to propose structural suggestions. The new titanium complexes efficiently catalyze the selective oxidation of various types of sulfides to either sulfoxides or sulfones using aqueous hydrogen peroxide, under mild conditions. All compounds have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and the molecular structure for some of them has been determined by X-ray diffraction.

We gratefully acknowledge Spanish MINECO (project CTQ2014-58270-R) and Universidad de Alcalá (project UAH-AE2017-2). I.R. acknowledges Spanish MECD (fellowship FPU13/03374). J.R. acknowledges Spanish MINECO (contract RYC-2011-09585).

13 pags., 12 figs., 6 tabs., 8 schs.

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