N-Nitrosoamides are among the most widely used synthetic intermediates for the preparation of diazo alkanes, generation of aryl radicals, and deamination of aliphatic amines.' More recently, the enhanced reactivity of nitrosoamides and nitroamides with a variety of nucleophiles was utilized for the conversion of RCONHR' into RCONHR", RCON3, and RCOSR",2 and for the cleavage of certain peptide amide bonds3 under mild conditions. In general agreement with the literat~re?~ we found2,38*6 that N204/NaAc0 was an excellent reagent for the nitrosation of amides in cold CH2C12. Nevertheless, under such conditions several hindered peptide bonds could not be nit r o~a t e d .~~In this paper we report the reaction of three nitrosating agents on compounds containing sterically hindered amide bonds: N-cyclohexyl-2,2-dimethylpropanamide ( l ) , Nacetyl-L-valine methyl ester (Ac-Val-OMe, 2) and Nacetyl-L-isoleucine methyl ester (Ac-Ile-OMe, 3). The most promising nitrosating reagents have been then applied to N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-isoleucyl-L-valine methyl ester (Z-Ile-Val-OMe, 4) and N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-valyl-Lleucine methyl ester (Z-Val-Leu-OMe, 5). 0 1 2 3 I 4 5When N204/NaAc0 was used, compounds 1-3 gave no detectable amounts of N-nitrosated Substitution of pyridine (py) for NaAcO, which we had shown to improve the nitrosation yields of some moderately hindered peptide bonds,' did not afford any significant (1) For related general reviews, see: (a) Challis, J. A. In The Chemistry of Amides; Zabicky, J., Ed.; Wiley-Interscience: London, 1970. (b) Regitz, M. In The Chemistry of Diazonium and Diazo Groups; Patai, S., Ed.; Wilev: Chichester. 1978. (c) Challis. B. C.: Challis. J. A. In Comorehenshe Organic CLemistry; Barton, D. H. R., Ollis, W. D., Eds.; Pirgamon Press: Oxford, 1979; Vol. 2. (2) (a) Garcia, J.; Gondez, J.; Segura, R.; Urpi, F.; Vilarrasa, J. J. Org. Chem. 1984, 49, 3322 and references therein. (b) Garcia, J. Doctoral Thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 1986. (c) Berenauer, R.; Garcia, J.; Vilarrasa, J. Synthesis, in press.(3) (a) Garcia, J.; Gonzblez, J.; Segura, R.; Vilarrasa, J. Tetrahedron 1984, 16, 3121. (b) For related papers on nitrosopeptides, see: Challis, B. C.; Milligan, J. R.; Mitchell, R. C. J. Chem. SOC., Chem. Commun. 1984, 1050 and references therein.(4) (a) White, E. H. J. Am. Chem. SOC. 1955, 77,6008 and references therein; (b) 6011; (c) 6014. (5) France, H.; Heilbron, I. M.; Hey, D. H. 1987, 28, 341. (7) Preliminary experiments with N204/py in CH2C12 were performed by J. Garcia some years ago.2b These conditions have also been employed in another context: Larm, 0. Carbohydr. Res. 1975,43, 192. Forrest, A. K.; Schmidt, R. R. Tetrahedron Lett. 1984,25, 1769.improvement in the cases studied here (1-3). After several trials (changing the base, adding either Me2S or EtSH in different amounts), encouraging yields were attained when 10 equiv of Me,S was added to a solution of the amide in py/CH2Cl2 (60% of nitrosation in the case of 2 and 30% in 3, but 0% in 1).It is known that, upon the oxidation of ...