New developments in the reduction of β, δ-diketo-sulfoxides, a reaction that affords important key intermediates for total synthesis, are described. We showed without ambiguity using NMR experiments, that the β-carbonyl group is totally enolised. This result is inconsistent with the previous hypothesis, which supposed the other tautomer (enolisation at the δ-position) as the major one. We propose a rationale to explain the side reactions ...