Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric N-Allylation of Amino Acid Esters with Exceptional Levels of Catalyst Control: Stereo-Divergent Synthesis of ProM-15 and Related Bicyclic Dipeptide Mimetics

A general and powerful method for the stereo-controlled Pd-catalyzed N-allylation of amino acid esters is reported, as a previously largely unsolved synthetic challenge. Employing a new class of tartaric acid-derived C₂-symmetric chiral diphosphane ligands the developed asymmetric amination protocol allows the conversion of various amino acid esters to the N-allylated products with highest levels of enantio- or diastereoselectivity in a fully catalyst-controlled fashion and predictable configuration. Remarkably, the in situ generated catalysts also exhibit outstanding levels of activity (ligand acceleration). The usefulness of the method was demonstrated in the stereo-divergent synthesis of a set of new conformationally defined dipeptide mimetics, which represent new modular building blocks for the development of peptide-inspired bioactive compounds.