Sustainable and efficient manufacturing methods for N-methylated peptides remain underexplored despite growing interest in therapeutic N-methylated peptides within the pharmaceutical industry. A methodology for the coupling of C-terminally unprotected N-methylamino acids mediated by an isostearic acid halide (ISTAX) and silylating reagent has been developed. This approach allows for the coupling of a wide variety of amino acids and peptides in high yields under mild conditions without the need for a C-terminal deprotection step in the process of C-terminal elongation. These advantages make this a useful synthetic method for the production of peptide therapeutics and diagnostics containing N-methylamino acids.

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Intramolecular electrostatic repulsions between the local negative charge on a trifluoromethyl group and that on the ortho position of an aryl moiety of a nucleophile was found to be a controlling factor of the diastereoselectivity in a cyclopropanation reaction, in which the electrostatic repulsion was evaluated quantitatively.

Both diastereoisomers of S-tert-butyl-beta-(trifluoromethyl)isocysteine have been synthesized stereoselectively by the sequential reactions of trifluoroacetimidoyl chloride with the lithium enolate of tert-butyl alpha-tert-butylthioacetate, followed by the diastereoselective reduction of the imino group with sodium borohydride in the presence of zinc(II) or di(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether, and finally by the deprotection of N-aryl and tert-butyl ester groups.

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