Sustainable C–H Functionalization within Peptide & Heterocyclic Chemistry

Abstract

Chemistry is known to play a crucial role in the universal commitment to achieve sustainable methodologies in which the reduction of energy consumption and the production of waste constitute great challenges for the advancement of Science. In this context, Organic and Organometallic Chemistry have experienced exceptional development in recent years, providing access to new environmentally friendly synthetic protocols based on the use of metal catalysts. In particular, cross-coupling reactions for C–H functionalization have emerged as a powerful alternative within modern Chemistry to overcome previous synthetic problems. In this regard, CDC (Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling) processes are of great interest since they not only minimize the generation of chemical waste but also can be carried out under very mild reaction conditions. Given the experience of our group in the development of robust and general catalytic C–H functionalization events, we envisioned that the use of earth-abundant and often less-toxic first-row transition metals (Cu, Fe, and Co) could be a viable tool for sustainable development. In particular, we became interested in the modification and assembly of amino acid and peptide derivatives, in a sustainable manner, due to their high importance in research areas such as proteomics and drug discovery. Likewise, the use of 1,2,3-triazoles as versatile DGs in the realm of C–H functionalization has not reached yet its full synthetic potential. Thus, we decided to focus our doctoral studies on the development of sustainable methodologies for the diversification of heterocycles and peptides, which are structures of utmost importance in medicinal chemistry.