A Pd-mediated direct C-H bond functionalisation of tryptophan has been developed, both as a single amino acid residue and within peptides. Important mechanistic insight into this process has been gained by characterising a Pd catalytically competent nanoparticle phase which evolves during the early stages of reaction.

No abstract

Pd-mediated C-H bond functionalisation protocols have been designed and developed on tryptophan derivatives and tryptophan-containing peptides. The examination of different arylation reactions (three sets of different conditions A-C), all of which are notable for their low temperatures (≤40 °C), allowed identification of unified and complementary synthetic approaches toward a series of functionalised tryptophan-containing products. Tryptophan-containing peptides demonstrated to be susceptible to aromatic oxidation were successfully and selectively modified through the application of diaryliodonium salts in good yields.

No abstract

An electrochemical approach for the preparation of copper(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes has been developed to include a diverse range of ligand precursors. Importantly, the method is effective for a ligand precursor that contains several acidic protons and for which traditional methods of carbene formation are not suitable.