Radical reaction of Williams’ glycinate auxiliaries with α-amidoacrylates: synthesis of orthogonally functionalized (2R,4R)- and (2R,4S)-diaminoglutamic acids

Towards Enantiomerically Pure Unnatural α-Amino Acids via Photoredox Catalytic 1,4-Additions to a Chiral Dehydroalanine

Chemo- and diastereoselective 1,4-conjugate additions of anionic and radical C-nucleophiles to a chiral bicyclic dehydroalanine (Dha) are described. Of particular importance, radical carbon photolysis by a catalytic photoredox process using a simple method with a metal-free photocatalyst provides exceptional yields and selectivities at room temperature. Moreover, these 1,4-conjugate additions offer an excellent starting point for synthesizing enantiomerically pure carbon-β-substituted unnatural α-amino acids (UAAs), which could have a high potential for applications in chemical biology.

Chiral diene-promoted room temperature conjugate arylation: highly enantioselective synthesis of substituted chiral phenylalanine derivatives and α,α-di(arylmethyl)acetates

A highly enantiocontrolled room temperature rhodium-catalyzed conjugate arylation process was developed. The reaction proceeds through 1,4-addition of α-substituted acrylates followed by enantioselective protonation using a C1-symmetric chiral bicyclo[2,2,2] diene as the ligand and water as the proton source. This exceptionally simple protocol provides a reliable and practical access to structurally important phenylalanine derivatives and α,α-di(arylmethyl)acetates in high yields (up to 99%) with good to excellent ee values (up to 99%).

Dehydroamino acids: chemical multi-tools for late-stage diversification

α,β-Dehydroamino acids (dhAAs) are noncanonical amino acids that are found in a wide array of natural products and can be easily installed into peptides and proteins. dhAAs exhibit remarkable synthetic flexibility, readily undergoing a number of reactions, such as polar and single-electron additions, transition metal catalyzed cross-couplings, and cycloadditions. Because of the relatively mild conditions required for many of these reactions, dhAAs are increasingly being used as orthogonal chemical handles for late-stage modification of biomolecules. Still, only a fraction of the chemical reactivity of dhAAs has been exploited in such biorthogonal applications. Herein, we provide an overview of the broad spectrum of chemical reactivity of dhAAs, with special emphasis on recent efforts to adapt such transformations for biomolecules such as natural products, peptides, and proteins. We also discuss examples of enzymes from natural product biosynthetic pathways that have been found to catalyze many similar reactions; these enzymes provide mild, regio- and stereoselective, biocatalytic alternatives for future development. We anticipate that the continued investigation of the innate reactivity of dhAAs will furnish a diverse portfolio dhAA-based chemistries for use in chemical biology and drug discovery.

Late-Stage Diversification of Phosphinic Dehydroalanine Pseudopeptides Based on a Giese-Type Radical C-Alkylation Strategy

A straightforward, late-stage diversification strategy for the installation of side chains on readily accessible unsaturated phosphinopeptidic scaffolds based on a Giese-type addition of alkyl radicals has been investigated. Among different alternatives, the preferred methodology is operationally simple as it can be carried out in an open flask with no need for protection of acidic moieties. Direct application to the synthesis of SPPS-compatible building blocks or to longer peptides is also reported.