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A Pd-catalyzed enantiospecific and regioselective ring-opening Suzuki-Miyaura arylation of aziridine-2-carboxylates was developed. The cross-coupling allows for the asymmetric preparation of enantioenriched β 2 -aryl amino acids, starting from commercially available enantiopure d- and l-serine esters. The mechanism and selectivity of the reaction was rationalized based on computational models., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The development of synthetic methods to prepare conformationally constrained peptides and peptide-polyketide hybrids remain an important chemical challenge. It is known that structural rigidity correlates with the specificity, bioactivity, and stability of these peptide systems, thus rigid systems are particularly attractive leads for development of potent biopharmaceuticals. Herein we provide an overview of recent developments in the syntheses of naturally derived constrained peptides and peptide-polyketide hybrids, with a particular emphasis on those systems containing an ene-like bond., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

This report discloses the first example of catalytic arylhydroxylation of dehydroalanine with aryldiazonium salts. Aryldiazonium salts, which are generated from aniline precursors under partially aqueous conditions in continuous flow, efficiently reacted with dehydroalanine in the presence of 10-15 mol % ferrocene to furnish α-hydroxyarylalanine derivatives (up to 82 % yield). The reactions proceeded with regioselectivity, broad functional group tolerance, and without polymerization of the dehydroalanine. Furthermore, the products were used to access α-unnatural amino acids, important targets with application in drug development., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We report here an unprecedented and highly enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation applied to 4-substituted isoxazolidin-5-ones. Ultimately, the process provides a straightforward access to β 2,2 -amino acids bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center in great yields and a high degree of enantioselectivity., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A novel Cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of α-alkyl substituted α-nitroacetates to phenyl vinyl selenone was developed. The resulting enantio-enriched α,α-dialkyl substituted α-nitroacetates were subsequently converted to various cyclic and acyclic quaternary α-amino acids, taking advantage of the rich functionalities of the resulting Michael adducts. Novel protocols allowing chemoselective reduction of phenyl selenone to phenyl selenide and reduction of alkyl phenyl selenones to alkanes are also reported., (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Single-handed α-amino acid derivatives were generated from achiral precursors without an external chiral source. Conjugate addition of phenethylamine to an achiral aroyl acrylamide under homogeneous conditions gave the α-amino amides in quantitative yields, which crystallized as a conglomerate of a P2 1 crystal system. Dynamic preferential crystallization or attrition-enhanced deracemization resulted in the formation of enantiomorphic crystals of 99 % ee., (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Nitrogen-13 can be efficiently produced in biomedical cyclotrons in different chemical forms, and its stable isotopes are present in the majority of biologically active molecules. Hence, it may constitute a convenient alternative to Fluorine-18 and Carbon-11 for the preparation of positron-emitter-labelled radiotracers; however, its short half-life demands for the development of simple, fast, and efficient synthetic processes. Herein, we report the one-pot, enzymatic and non-carrier-added synthesis of the (13) N-labelled amino acids l-[(13) N]alanine, [(13) N]glycine, and l-[(13) N]serine by using l-alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis, an enzyme that catalyses the reductive amination of α-keto acids by using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) as the redox cofactor and ammonia as the amine source. The integration of both l-alanine dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii in the same reaction vessel to facilitate the in situ regeneration of NADH during the radiochemical synthesis of the amino acids allowed a 50-fold decrease in the concentration of the cofactor without compromising reaction yields. After optimization of the experimental conditions, radiochemical yields were sufficient to carry out in vivo imaging studies in small rodents., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Herein, we describe the versatile application of triphenylmethyl (trityl) isocyanide in multicomponent chemistry. This reagent can be employed as a cyanide source in the Strecker reaction and as convertible isocyanide in the preparation of N-acyl amino acids by Ugi 4CR/detritylation and free imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-amines by a Groebke-Blackburn-Bienaymé 3CR condensation/deprotection protocol. The mechanisms of these three classical MCRs intersect at the common N-trityl nitrilium ion intermediate, whose predictable reactivity can be exploited towards chemoselective transformations., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The synthesis of all 20 common natural proteinogenic and 4 otherα-amino acid-isosteric α-amino tetrazoles has been accomplished, whereby the carboxyl group is replaced by the isosteric 5-tetrazolyl group. The short process involves the use of the key Ugi tetrazole reaction followed by deprotection chemistries. The tetrazole group is bioisosteric to the carboxylic acid and is widely used in medicinal chemistry and drug design. Surprisingly, several of the common α-amino acid-isosteric α-amino tetrazoles are unknown up to now. Therefore a rapid synthetic access to this compound class and non-natural derivatives is of high interest to advance the field., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Direct oxidation of the 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal protecting group to C-6 carboxylic acid has been developed that provides an easy access to a wide range of biologically important and synthetically challenging uronic acid and sugar amino acid derivatives in good yields. The RuCl3 -NaIO4 -mediated oxidative cleavage method eliminates protection and deprotection steps and the reaction takes place under mild conditions. The dual role of the benzylidene acetal, as a protecting group and source of carboxylic acid, was exploited in the efficient synthesis of six-carbon sialic acid analogues and disaccharides bearing uronic acids, including glycosaminoglycan analogues., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Herein, we describe the synthesis of molecular scaffolds consisting of medium-sized fused heterocycles using amino acids, which are some of the most useful building blocks used by nature as well as chemists to create structural diversity. The acyclic precursors were assembled by using traditional Merrifield solid-phase peptide synthesis, and cyclization was carried out through acid-mediated tandem endocyclic N-acyliminium ion formation, followed by nucleophilic addition with internal nucleophiles. The synthesis of molecular scaffolds consisting of seven-, eight-, and nine-membered rings proceeded with full stereocontrol of the newly generated stereogenic center in most cases., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The scope of MgI2 as a valuable tool for quantitative and mild chemoselective cleavage of protecting groups is described here. This novel synthetic approach expands the use of protecting groups, widens the concept of orthogonality in synthetic processes, and offers a facile opportunity to release compounds from solid supports., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An improved and practical procedure for the stereoselective synthesis of anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino acids (anti-βhAAs), by palladium-catalyzed sequential C(sp(3) )-H functionalization directed by 8-aminoquinoline auxiliary, is described. followed by a previously established monoarylation and/or alkylation of the β-methyl C(sp(3) )-H of alanine derivative, β-acetoxylation of both alkylic and benzylic methylene C(sp(3) )-H bonds affords various anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino acid derivatives. As an example, the synthesis of β-mercapto-α-amino acids, which are highly important to the extension of native chemical ligation chemistry beyond cysteine, is described. The synthetic potential of this protocol is further demonstrated by the synthesis of diverse β-branched α-amino acids. The observed diastereoselectivities are strongly influenced by electronic effects of aromatic AAs and steric effects of the linear side-chain AAs, which could be explained by the competition of intramolecular C-OAc bond reductive elimination from Pd(IV) intermediates vs. intermolecular attack by an external nucleophile (AcO(-) ) in an SN 2-type process., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The biological activity of antibiotic peptaibols has been linked to their ability to aggregate, but the structure-activity relationship for aggregation is not well understood. Herein, we report a systematic study of a class of synthetic helical oligomer (foldamer) composed of aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residues, which mimic the folding behavior of peptaibols. NMR spectroscopic analysis was used to quantify the dimerization constants in solution, which showed hydrogen-bond donors at the N terminus promoted aggregation more effectively than similar modifications at the C terminus. Elongation of the peptide chain also favored aggregation. The geometry of aggregation in solution was investigated by means of titrations with [D6]DMSO and 2D NOE NMR spectroscopy, which allowed the NH protons most involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonds in solution to be identified. X-ray crystallography studies of two oligomers allowed a comparison of the inter- and intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions in the solid state and in solution and gave further insight into the geometry of foldamer-foldamer interactions. These solution-based and solid-state studies indicated that the preferred geometry for aggregation is through head-to-tail interactions between the N and C termini of adjacent Aib oligomers., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A novel method for the synthesis of non-natural L- and D-amino acids by a Ni-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction is described. This strategy enables the racemization-free cross-coupling of serine/homoserine- derived iodides with aryl/acyl/alkyl halides. It provides convenient access to varieties of enantiopure and functionalized amino acids, which are important building blocks in bioactive compounds and pharmaceuticals., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Hydrogen-bond mediated coupling of 1,2,3-triazoles to indoles and pyrroles results in N2 selective functionalization of the triazole moiety in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction was tolerant of un-, mono- and disubstituted triazoles and was applied to synthesize tryptophan derived fluorescent amino acids., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

By displaying different O-glycans in a multivalent mode, mucin and mucin-like glycoproteins are involved in a plethora of protein binding events. The understanding of the roles of the glycans and the identification of potential glycan binding proteins are major challenges. To enable future binding studies of mucin glycan and glycopeptide probes, a method that gives flexible and efficient access to all common mucin core-glycosylated amino acids was developed. Based on a convergent synthesis strategy starting from a shared early stage intermediate by differentiation in the glycoside acceptor reactivity, a common disaccharide building block allows for the creation of extended glycosylated amino acids carrying the mucin type-2 cores 1-4 saccharides. Formation of a phenyl-sulfenyl-N-Troc (Troc=trichloroethoxycarbonyl) byproduct during N-iodosuccinimide-promoted thioglycoside couplings was further characterized and a new methodology for the removal of the Troc group is described. The obtained glycosylated 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-protected amino acid building blocks are incorporated into peptides for multivalent glycan display., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Hybrid peptides composed of α- and β-amino acids have recently emerged as new class of peptide foldamers. Comparatively, γ- and hybrid γ-peptides composed of γ(4) -amino acids are less studied than their β-counterparts. However, recent investigations reveal that γ(4)-amino acids have a higher propensity to fold into ordered helical structures. As amino acid side-chain functional groups play a crucial role in the biological context, the objective of this study was to investigate efficient synthesis of γ(4)-residues with functional proteinogenic side-chains and their structural analysis in hybrid-peptide sequences. Here, the efficient and enantiopure synthesis of various N- and C-terminal free-γ(4)-residues, starting from the benzyl esters (COOBzl) of N-Cbz-protected (E)-α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids through multiple hydrogenolysis and double-bond reduction in a single-pot catalytic hydrogenation is reported. The crystal conformations of eight unprotected γ(4)-amino acids (γ(4)-Val, γ(4)-Leu, γ(4)-Ile, γ(4)-Thr(OtBu), γ(4)-Tyr, γ(4)-Asp(OtBu), γ(4)-Glu(OtBu), and γ-Aib) reveals that these amino acids adopted a helix favoring gauche conformations along the central C(γ) -C(β) bond. To study the behavior of γ(4)-residues with functional side chains in peptide sequences, two short hybrid γ-peptides P1 (Ac-Aib-γ(4)-Asn-Aib-γ(4)-Leu-Aib-γ(4)-Leu-CONH2 ) and P2 (Ac-Aib-γ(4)-Ser-Aib-γ(4)-Val-Aib-γ(4)-Val-CONH2 ) were designed, synthesized on solid phase, and their 12-helical conformation in single crystals were studied. Remarkably, the γ(4) -Asn residue in P1 facilitates the tetrameric helical aggregations through interhelical H bonding between the side-chain amide groups. Furthermore, the hydroxyl side-chain of γ(4)-Ser in P2 is involved in the interhelical H bonding with the backbone amide group. In addition, the analysis of 87 γ(4)-residues in peptide single-crystals reveal that the γ(4)-residues in 12-helices are more ordered as compared with the 10/12- and 12/14-helices., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The first catalytic enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides to α-aminoacrylate catalyzed by a AgOAc/ferrocenyl oxazolinylphosphine (FOXAP) system was developed, which exhibits excellent exo- and enantioselectivity (92-99 % ee). This process provides efficient access to useful 4-aminopyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (APDC)-like compounds containing a unique quaternary α-amino acid unit., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Although 1,2-cyclic sulfamidates derived from α-methylisoserine undergo nucleophilic displacement at the quaternary center, to the best of our knowledge their behavior with amines as nucleophiles has never been explored. We have found that a broad range of amines can be used, demonstrating the scope of the reaction, and that excellent control of the chemoselectivity can be achieved. Application of this methodology for the synthesis of a chiral α,β-diamino acid and an important piperazinone heterocycle is also presented. Additionally, we have found that DMF and DMSO behave not only as polar aprotic solvents but also as O-nucleophilic reagents, allowing the incorporation of an oxygen atom at a quaternary center of the electrophile, with inversion of configuration., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Spiropins for SPPS: The rigid structure of an anomerically stabilised spiroketal motif enables the appendage of substituents in a fixed conformation. To assess the ability of a spiroketal motif to induce a turn structure and participate in solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), an Fmoc-spiroketal amino acid was synthesised and incorporated into a spiroketal-containing cyclic peptide., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Teraryl-based α-helix mimetics have proven to be useful compounds for the inhibition of protein-protein interactions (PPI). We have developed a modular and flexible approach for the synthesis of teraryl-based α-helix mimetics. Central to our strategy is the use of a benzene core unit featuring two leaving groups of differentiated reactivity in the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling used for terphenyl assembly. With the halogen/diazonium route and the halogen/triflate route, two strategies have successfully been established. The synthesis of core building blocks with aliphatic (Ala, Val, Leu, Ile), aromatic (Phe), polar (Cys, Lys), hydrophilic (Ser, Gln), and acidic (Glu) amino acid side chains are reported., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An efficient and simple new stereocontrolled access route to novel disubstituted cispentacin derivatives with multiple stereogenic centers from norbornene β-lactam has been developed. The synthesis involves olefinic bond functionalization by dihydroxylation followed by oxidative ring cleavage and transformation of the dialdehyde intermediate through a Wittig reaction., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

α-Amino acids are essential resources for human life and are highly useful as building blocks for organic synthesis. The core framework of an α-amino acid can be divided into three basic components: an aldehyde, an amine, and carbon dioxide (CO(2)). We report herein that a one-step synthesis of α-amino acids has been successfully achieved from these three basic and inexpensive chemicals with a single operation, in which the mixture of an aldehyde, a sulfonamide, and gaseous CO(2) was heated at 100 °C in the presence of Bu(3)Sn-SnBu(3) and CsF. In this one-pot sequential protocol, two important intermediates (imine and α-amino stannane) are involved and the stannyl anion generated in situ plays a crucial role, particularly for the efficient stannylation of the imine in the presence of proton sources and for promoting retrostannylation of the undesired α-alkoxy stannane owing to its high stability and tolerance of the presence of proton sources. This methodology enabled the synthesis of a wide range of racemic arylglycine derivatives in high yields., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The development and further evolution of the first catalytic asymmetric conjugate additions of azlactones as activated amino acid derivatives to enones is described. Whereas the first-generation approach started from isolated azlactones, in the second-generation approach the azlactones could be generated in situ starting from racemic N-benzoylated amino acids. The third evolution stage could make use of racemic unprotected α-amino acids to directly form highly enantioenriched and diastereomerically pure masked quaternary amino acid products bearing an additional tertiary stereocenter. The step-economic transformations were accomplished by cooperative activation by using a robust planar chiral bis-Pd catalyst, a Brønsted acid (HOAc or BzOH; Ac=acetyl, Bz=benzoyl), and a Brønsted base (NaOAc). In particular the second- and third-generation approaches provide a rapid and divergent access to biologically interesting unnatural quaternary amino acid derivatives from inexpensive bulk chemicals. In that way highly enantioenriched acyclic α-amino acids, α-alkyl proline, and α-alkyl pyroglutamic acid derivatives could be prepared in diastereomerically pure form. In addition, a unique way is presented to prepare diastereomerically pure bicyclic dipeptides in just two steps from unprotected tertiary α-amino acids., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The versatility of the pipecolic linker (Pip-linker) is illustrated by the synthesis of modified amino acids, C-terminal-modified pseudopeptides, and cyclic peptides, through side-chain anchoring of a lysine residue (see figure). Introduction of the first residue was easily accomplished and the Pip-linker revealed to be robust enough to support various chemical modifications., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The synthesis of homochiral homo-oligomers of cis- and trans-3-aminotetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylic acids (parent cis- and trans-furanoid-β-amino acids, referred to as "cis-/trans-FAA") has been carried out to understand their secondary structures and their dependence on the ring heteroatom. The oligomers of two diastereomers have been shown to have a distinct left-handed helicity. The cis-FAA homo-oligomers show a 14-helix structure, in contrast to the homo-oligomers of cis-ACPC, which adopt a sheet like structure. The trans-FAA homo-oligomers were found to adopt a 12-helix structure, the same trend found in trans-ACPC homo-oligomers. With the help of ab initio calculations, the structural features of cis-ACPC and cis-FAA hexamers were compared. We believe that the more compact packing of the cis-FAA hexapeptide should be due to a more favorable interaction between the ring and the backbone amide hydrogen., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An easily available and efficient chiral N,N'-dioxide-nickel(II) complex catalyst has been developed for the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of alpha-isothiocyanato imide with aldehydes which produces the products in morderate to high yields (up to 98 %) with excellent diastereo- (up to >99:1 d.r.) and enantioselectivities (up to >99 % ee). A variety of aromatic, heteroaromatic, alpha,beta-unsaturated, and aliphatic aldehydes were found to be suitable substrates in the presence of 2.5 mol % L-proline-derived N,N'-dioxide L5-nickel(II) complex. This process was air-tolerant and easily manipulated with available reagents. Based on experimental investigations, a possible transition state has been proposed to explain the origin of reactivity and asymmetric inductivity.

A new, easy, and highly enantioselective method for the synthesis of quaternary alpha-alkyl-alpha-amino acids based on organocatalysis is reported. The addition of oxazolones to 1,1-bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethylene is efficiently catalyzed by simple chiral bases or thioureas. The reaction affords alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acid derivatives with complete C4 regioselectivity and with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. This methodology is complementary to previously reported enantioselective approaches to quaternary alpha-amino acids and allows the synthesis of alpha-phenyl-alpha-alkyl-alpha-amino acids and alpha-tert-butyl-alpha-alkyl-alpha-amino acids. It has distinct advantages in terms of operational simplicity, enviromentally friendly conditions, and suitability for large-scale reactions.

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of gamma,delta-alkynyl-beta-amino acid derivatives by a copper-catalyzed three-component amine-alkyne-alkyne addition reaction was developed. Various gamma,delta-alkynyl-beta-amino acid derivatives were synthesized in moderate to good yields in one step. With chiral prolinol derivatives employed as the amine component, excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >99:1 diastereomeric ratio (dr)) were obtained. The scope of the reaction and further transformations of the resulting amino acid derivatives, such as deprotection and cyclization are also described.

Aldolases are enzymes that catalyze stereospecific aldol reactions in a reversible manner. Naturally occurring aldolases include class I aldolases, which catalyze aldol reactions via enamine intermediates, and class II aldolases, in which Zn(2+) enolates of substrates react with acceptor aldehydes. In this work, Zn(2+) complexes of L-prolyl-pendant[15]aneN(5) (ZnL(3)), L-prolyl-pendant[12]aneN(4) (ZnL(4)), and L-valyl-pendant[12]aneN(4) (ZnL(5)) were designed and synthesized for use as chiral catalysts for enantioselective aldol reactions. The complexation constants for L(3) to L(5) with Zn(2+) [logK(s)(ZnL)] were determined to be 14.1 (for ZnL(3)), 7.6 (for ZnL(4)), and 9.6 (for ZnL(5)), indicating that ZnL(3) is more stable than ZnL(4) and ZnL(5). The deprotonation constants of Zn(2+)-bound water [pK(a)(ZnL) values] for ZnL(3), ZnL(4), and ZnL(5) were calculated to be 9.2 (for ZnL(3)), 8.2 (for ZnL(4)), and 8.6 (for ZnL(5)), suggesting that the Zn(2+) ions in ZnL(3) is a less acidic Lewis acid than in ZnL(4) and ZnL(5). These values also indicated that the amino groups on the side chains weakly coordinate to Zn(2+). We carried out aldol reactions between acetone and 2-chlorobenzaldehyde and other aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of the chiral Zn(2+) complexes in acetone/H(2)O at 25 and 37 degrees C. Whereas ZnL(3) yielded the aldol product in 43% yield and 1% ee (R), ZnL(4) and ZnL(5) afforded good chemical yields and high enantioselectivities of up to 89% ee (R). UV titrations of proline and ZnL(4) with acetylacetone (acac) in DMSO/H(2)O (1:2) indicate that ZnL(4) facilitates the formation of the ZnL(4)(acac)(-) complex (K(app)=2.1x10(2) M(-1)), whereas L-proline forms a Schiff base with acac with a very small equilibrium constant. These results suggest that the amino acid components and the Zn(2+) ions in ZnL(4) and ZnL(5) function in a cooperative manner to generate the Zn(2+)-enolate of acetone, thus permitting efficient enantioselective C-C bond formation with aldehydes.

A stereospecific synthesis of beta(3)-amino acids has been accomplished starting from readily available and enantioenriched propargylic alcohols. This conversion can be effected in only three steps by selenium-mediated organic transformations of the carbon-carbon triple bond. This method is especially attractive because the reactive Se-phenyl selenocarboxylate intermediates can be trapped with the amine functionality of an amino acid derivative. Through this strategy a chain elongation at the N-terminus has been effected. The N-deprotection and repetition of the homologation with other Se-phenyl selenocarboxylate intermediates produced beta- and mixed alpha/beta-oligopeptides without the use of coupling agents.

The synthesis of two series of peptidic chains composed of bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) acceptor units and organic chromophores (coumarin, naphthalene, anthracene, fluorene) by stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) techniques is described. The first series of dyads comprises directly amide linked chromophores, while the second one possesses a glycine spacer between the two chromophores. All dyads were studied by UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopy, steady-state luminescence, luminescence decay and electrochemistry, as well as by DFT calculations. The results of these studies indicate weak electronic coupling of the chromophores in the ground state. Absorption spectra of all dyads are dominated by metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands around 500 nm. The bichromophoric systems, especially with coumarin as organic chromophore, display additional strong absorptions in the visible spectral region. All complexes are luminescent at room temperature ((3)MLCT). Efficient quenching of the fluorescence of the organic chromophore by the attached ruthenium complex is observed in all dyads. Excitation spectra indicate energy transfer from the organic dye to the ruthenium chromophore.

The growing understanding of transition-metal catalysis has provided the opportunity to design reactions that convert simple, readily available building blocks in one step into an array of biologically relevant products. Described herein is the application of this approach to the construction of various biologically relevant products, including pyrroles, imidazoles, beta-lactams, oxazoles, alpha-amino acids, propargyl amides, functionalized pyridines, and others. These catalytic reactions rely upon several synthetic operations occurring in sequence, in which the reactivity of transition-metal complexes both activates basic building blocks towards reaction, and controls how multiple versions of these substrates come together. Overall, this allows the synthesis of each these products in one step, in high yield, with minimal waste, and with straightforward access to product diversity.

An easy and simple synthetic approach to optically active alpha,alpha-quaternary alpha-amino acids using asymmetric organocatalysis is presented. The addition of oxazolones to nitroalkenes catalyzed by thiourea cinchona derivatives provides the corresponding alpha,alpha-quaternary alpha-amino acid derivatives with good yields, excellent diastereoselectivities (up to 98 % dr), and from moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 92 % ee). The reaction can be performed on a large scale. The optically active oxazolone-nitroalkene addition products can be opened in a one-pot reaction to the corresponding ester-amide derivatives. Additional transformations are also presented, such as the synthesis of amino esters, amino acids, and transformation into 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidin-2-ones.

(S)-2-Hydroxy-2'-(3-phenyluryl-benzyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-3-carboxaldehyde (1) forms Schiff bases with a wide range of nonderivatized amino acids, including unnatural ones. Multiple hydrogen bonds, including resonance-assisted ones, fix the whole orientation of the imine and provoke structural rigidity around the imine C==N bond. Due to the structural difference and the increase in acidity of the alpha proton of the amino acid, the imine formed with an L-amino acid (1-l-aa) is converted into the imine of the D-amino acid (1-D-aa), with a D/L ratio of more than 10 for most amino acids at equilibrium. N-terminal amino acids in dipeptides are also predominantly epimerized to the D form upon imine formation with 1. Density functional theory calculations show that 1-D-Ala is more stable than 1-L-Ala by 1.64 kcal mol(-1), a value that is in qualitative agreement with the experimental result. Deuterium exchange of the alpha proton of alanine in the imine form was studied by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and the results support a stepwise mechanism in the L-into-D conversion rather than a concerted one; that is, deprotonation and protonation take place in a sequential manner. The deprotonation rate of L-Ala is approximately 16 times faster than that of D-Ala. The protonation step, however, appears to favor L-amino acid production, which prevents a much higher predominance of the D form in the imine. Receptor 1 and the predominantly D-form amino acid can be recovered from the imine by simple extraction under acidic conditions. Hence, 1 is a useful auxiliary to produce D-amino acids of industrial interest by the conversion of naturally occurring L-amino acids or relatively easily obtainable racemic amino acids.

The synthesis and conformational analysis in aqueous solution of different alpha-methyl-alpha-amino acid diamides, derived from serine, threonine, beta-hydroxycyclobutane-alpha-amino acids, and their corresponding model beta-O-glucopeptides, are reported. The study reveals that the presence of an alpha-methyl group forces the model peptides to adopt helix-like conformations. These folded conformations are especially significant for cyclobutane derivatives. Interestingly, this feature was also observed in the corresponding model glucopeptides, thus indicating that the alpha-methyl group and not the beta-O-glucosylation process largely determines the conformational preference of the backbone in these structures. On the other hand, atypical conformations of the glycosidic linkage were experimentally determined. Therefore, when a methyl group was located at the Cbeta atom with an R configuration, the glycosidic linkage was rather rigid. Nevertheless, when the S configuration was displayed, a significant degree of flexibility was observed for the glycosidic linkage, thus showing both alternate and eclipsed conformations of the psi(s) dihedral angle. In addition, some derivatives exhibited an unusual value for the phi(s) angle, which was far from a value of -60 degrees expected for a conventional beta-O-glycosidic linkage. In this sense, the different conformations exhibited by these molecules could be a useful tool in obtaining systems with conformational preferences "à la carte".

The first organocatalysed enantioselective [1,3]-sigmatropic O- to N-rearrangement reactions are presented. The reactions take place under regio- and enantioselective control, and are catalysed by cinchona alkaloids. Two reactions have been developed the first one is the rearrangement of imidates to amides, while the other rearrangement occurs from carbamates to amines via a decarboxylation. Both transformations give nitrogen protected beta-amino acid derivatives as the product. These novel asymmetric organocatalysed [1,3]-sigmatropic O- to N-rearrangement reactions provide a reliable and efficient synthetic method for obtaining enantioenriched beta-amino acid derivates in good yield from racemic starting materials.