New Peterson reagents were prepared by introducing alkyloxy groups on the silicon atom in order to fix the conformation of the sulfone anion. The reagents 1d and 1e reacted with a variety of aldehydes after the treatment with Li-base to give Z-α,β-unsaturated sulfones with up to >99:1 selectivity in good to excellent yields. For the reaction with aliphatic aldehydes, CPME (cyclopentyl methyl ether) is the choice of solvent, while DME (1,2-dimethoxyethane) gave higher selectivity for the reaction with aromatic aldehydes.

New Peterson reagents bearing alkyloxy groups on the silicon atom are prepared in order to steady the sulfone anion conformation.