Quaternary β2,2‐Amino Acids: Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis and Incorporation into Peptides by Fmoc‐Based Solid‐Phase Peptide Synthesis

Abstract

Abstractβ‐Amino acid incorporation has emerged as a promising approach to enhance the stability of parent peptides and to improve their biological activity. Owing to the lack of reliable access to β2,2‐amino acids in a setting suitable for peptide synthesis, most contemporary research efforts focus on the use of β3‐ and certain β2,3‐amino acids. Herein, we report the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of β2,2‐amino acids and their incorporation into peptides by Fmoc‐based solid‐phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc‐SPPS). A quaternary carbon center was constructed by the palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of 4‐substituted isoxazolidin‐5‐ones. The N−O bond in the products not only acts as a traceless protecting group for β‐amino acids but also undergoes amide formation with α‐ketoacids derived from Fmoc‐protected α‐amino acids, thus providing expeditious access to α‐β2,2‐dipeptides ready for Fmoc‐SPPS.