Synthesis of C-Propargylic Esters of N-Protected Amino Acids and Peptides

Recent years have seen a huge surge of interest in the application of alkyne-derived motifs for so-called click chemistry. Given the critical importance of amino acids in organic synthesis as well as their myriad of applications in click chemistry it is interesting to note that the synthesis of C-propargyl derived amino acid esters has not been particularly well served. We report a convenient, straightforward, and high-yielding synthesis of structurally diverse C-propargyl-derived N-protected amino acid esters.