Metal-free, visible-light driven C–H ketoalkylation of glycine derivatives and peptides

Abstract

A metal-free, visible-light driven C–H ketoalkylation of glycine derivatives and peptides with cycloalkyl hydroperoxides is presented. This protocol provides a straightforward route to unnatural amino acids bearing a distal carbonyl group with moderate to good yields. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that both a SET event and radical chain propagation were involved in this transformation.