Radical‐Based Synthesis and Modification of Amino Acids

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2021-01, Vol.60 (3), p.1098-1115
• Main Authors: Aguilar Troyano, Francisco José, Merkens, Kay, Anwar, Khadijah, Gómez‐Suárez, Adrián
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Amino Acids - chemistry; Chemical synthesis; Humans; Minireview; Minireviews; peptides; Peptides - chemistry; photochemistry; Photochemistry - methods; radical reactions; Reviews; synthetic methods
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202010157

Amino acids (AAs) are key structural motifs with widespread applications in organic synthesis, biochemistry, and material sciences. Recently, with the development of milder and more versatile radical‐based procedures, the use of strategies relying on radical chemistry for the synthesis and modification of AAs has gained increased attention, as they allow rapid access to libraries of novel unnatural AAs containing a wide range of structural motifs. In this Minireview, we provide a broad overview of the advancements made in this field during the last decade, focusing on methods for the de novo synthesis of α‐, β‐, and γ‐AAs, as well as for the selective derivatisation of canonical and non‐canonical α‐AAs. This Minireview provides a broad overview of the advancements made in the synthesis and modification of amino acid derivatives using radical chemistry during the last decade. The overview is divided in two sections: methods for the de novo synthesis of α‐, β‐, and γ‐amino acids, and methods for the selective derivatisation of canonical and non‐canonical α‐amino acids.