Photobiocatalytic Cascades for Acylating N‐Heterocycles with Natural Amino Acids via the 2‐Keto Acids

Abstract

AbstractPhotobiocatalysis fully utilizing the unique reactivity of photocatalysis and efficient transforming biobased feedstocks of biocatalysis represents a promising approach for future green synthesis. However, photobiocatalytic cascade with biobased starting substrates has been rarely reported. Here, we present photobiocatalytic cascades that modify the N‐heterocycle with keto acids biocatalytically synthesized from natural amino acids. The types of aliphatic, aromatic, and polar natural amino acids are compatible with the photobiocatalytic cascades system. In addition, the cascade is compatible with a range of N‐heterocycles with moderate to good yield (up to 82%). Furthermore, the cascade system can reach gram scale (0.91 g) with a good separation yield, demonstrating the potential for scaling up production to practical application. This photobiocatalytic cascade can synthesize a range of important N‐heterocyclic derivatives from natural amino acids in a green fashion and paves the way for greener synthesis by combining biocatalysis and photocatalysis.magnified image