The manganese(I)-catalyzed allylation of the amino acid tryptophan is realized under exceedingly mild conditions using water as a sustainable and non-hazardous reaction medium, instead of classical organic solvents, with great potential for green and sustainable chemistry. Synthetically useful α,β-unsaturated esters can be accessed by reaction with Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) adducts following a fast C–H activation approach. The robustness of this procedure is reflected by kinetic analysis at different reaction temperatures and reduced catalyst loadings are employed.
Key words
C–H activation - on water - peptides - manganese catalysis - late-stage functionalization