Zhixin Deng, Zhigang Liu, Sheng Zuo, Ya-Jiao Zhang, Hong Yan, Fen-Er Chen
ε-Keto sulfones, which are useful building blocks in organic chemistry and drug discovery, motivated us to develop a new protocol for their synthesis from cyclopropanols via Cu/Zn-cocatalyzed ring-opening conjugate addition to vinyl sulfones. cis -2-Amino-1,2-diphenyl-ethanol is disclosed as an effective ligand to promote this transformation. Moreover, other Michael acceptors, including benzylidene malononitrile, maleimide, and α,β-unsaturated ketones or esters, are also compatible with the protocol.