Benzophenone Michael addition reaction

Benzophenone (Amax = 340 nm, log e = 2.5, n-ir electronic transition) can be used as a photochemical reagent and eq. 4.25 shows a radical Michael-addition reaction with benzophenone. The formed benzophenone biradical (triplet state, Tx) abstracts an electron-rich a-hydrogen atom from methyl 3-hydroxypropanoate (62) to generate an electron-rich a-hydroxy carbon-centered radical [III], then its radical adds to the electron-deficient (3-carbon of a, (3-unsaturated cyclic ketone (63) through the radical Michael addition. The electrophilic oxygen-centered radical in the benzophenone biradical abstracts an electron-rich hydrogen atom from methyl 3-hydroxypropanoate (62) [70]. So, an a-hydroxy carbon-centered radical [III] is formed, and an electron-deficient a-methoxycarbonyl carbon-centered radical [III7] is not formed. 

There are numerous reports of the P-addition of organometallic reagents to racemic a,p-unsaturated sulfoxides [62,63]. For example, the Michael-type reaction of dialkylcuprates with p-chlorophenyl vinyl sulfoxide (65), followed by reaction of the initially formed a-sulfinyl carbanion (66) with electrophiles such as benzophenone, gave the products (67) (Scheme 5.21) [66]. 

Protected glycine derivatives have been used as the nucleophilic partner in enantioselective syntheses of amino acid derivatives by chiral PTC (Scheme 10.9). Loupy and co-workers have reported the addition of diethyl acetylaminomalonate to chalcone without solvent with enan-tioselectivity up to 82% ee [44]. The recent report from the Corey group, with catalyst 8a used in conjunction with the benzophenone imine of glycine t-butyl ester 35, discussed earlier, results in highly enantioselective reactions (91-99% ee) with various Michael acceptors (2-cyclo-hexenone, methyl acrylate, and ethyl vinyl ketone) to yield products 71-73 [21], Other Michael reactions resulting in amino acid products are noted [45]. 

The glycinate Schiff base of benzophenone 17 was also shown to be a suitable Michael donor for the asymmetric 1,6-addition to the activated dienes 44 having ketones, esters, and sulfones as substituents. Using Corey s phase-transfer catalyst, 16, the corresponding allylated products 47 were obtained as a single E-isomer with high enantioselectivity (from 92 to 98% ee). The synthetic utility of this reaction... 

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