Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions for the Functionalization of α-Amino Acid Derivatives and Peptides

The functionalization of typically unreactive C(sp3)–H bonds holds great promise for reducing the reliance on existing functional groups while improving atom-economy and energy efficiency. As a result, this topic is a matter of genuine concern for scientists in order to achieve greener chemical processes. The site-specific modification of α-amino acid and peptides based upon C(sp3)–H functionalization still represents a great challenge of utmost synthetic importance. This short review summarizes the most recent advances in ‘Cross-Dehydrogenative Couplings’ of α-amino carbonyl compounds and peptide derivatives with a variety of nucleophilic coupling partners. 1 Introduction 2 C–C Bond-Forming Oxidative Couplings 2.1 Reaction with Alkynes 2.2 Reaction with Alkenes 2.3 Reaction with (Hetero)arenes 2.4 Reaction with Alkyl Reagents 3 C–Heteroatom Bond-Forming Oxidative Couplings 3.1 C–P Bond Formation 3.2 C–N Bond Formation 3.3 C–O and C–S Bond Formation 4 Conclusions