Gram-Scale Electrosynthesis of Protected Dehydroamino Acids

Abstract

A NaCl-mediated electrochemical oxidation of amino acid carbamates (R1 = Boc, Cbz) afforded alpha-methoxylated alpha-amino acids. Subsequent acid-catalyzed elimination delivered valuable dehydroamino acid derivatives. The simplicity of our open-to-air setup using simple graphite-electrodes submerged in a beaker was showcased producing N-Boc--Delta-Ala-OMe on decagram scale.