Selective
functionalization of aliphatic C–H bonds,
ubiquitous
in molecular structures, could allow ready access to diverse chemical
products. While enzymatic oxygenation of C–H bonds is well
established, the analogous enzymatic nitrogen functionalization is
still unknown; nature is reliant on preoxidized compounds for nitrogen
incorporation. Likewise, synthetic methods for selective nitrogen
derivatization of unbiased C–H bonds remain elusive. In this
work, new-to-nature heme-containing nitrene transferases were used
as starting points for the directed evolution of enzymes to selectively
aminate and amidate unactivated C(sp3)–H sites.
The desymmetrization of methyl- and ethylcyclohexane with divergent
site selectivity is offered as demonstration. The evolved enzymes
in these lineages are highly promiscuous and show activity toward
a wide array of substrates, providing a foundation for further evolution
of nitrene transferase function. Computational studies and kinetic
isotope effects (KIEs) are consistent with a stepwise radical pathway
involving an irreversible, enantiodetermining hydrogen atom transfer
(HAT), followed by a lower-barrier diastereoselectivity-determining
radical rebound step. In-enzyme molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
reveal a predominantly hydrophobic pocket with favorable dispersion
interactions with the substrate. By offering a direct path from saturated
precursors, these enzymes present a new biochemical logic for accessing
nitrogen-containing compounds.