Photoinduced Kochi Decarboxylative Elimination for the Synthesis of Enamides and Enecarbamates from N-Acyl Amino Acids

Decarboxylative elimination of easily accessible N-acyl amino acids to provide enamide and enecarbamate building blocks has been realized through the combination of an organophotoredox catalyst and copper acetate as the terminal oxidant. This operationally simple process utilizes inexpensive and readily available reagents without preactivation of the carboxylic acid. Enamides and enecarbamates are now accessible directly from N-acyl amino acids consequently improving upon the utility of Kochi's oxidative decarboxylation of carboxylic acids.