An optimized procedure for the diastereoselective allylation under aqueous Barbier conditions of a series of alpha-amino aldehydes with our new chiral building block (S(s))-3-chloro-2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-1-propene [(S(s))-1a] to afford enantiomerically pure sulfinylamino alcohols in good yields and diastereoselectivites is reported. High levels of diastereoinduction can be achieved from alpha-amino aldehydes configurationally related to natural alpha-amino acids.