Site-selective nitrene transfer to di- and polyene substrates has been achieved using designed peptide-embedded bioxazoline ligands capable of binding copper. In model 1,3-diene substrates, the olefinic position proximal to a directing group was selectively functionalized. Additional studies indicate that this selectivity stems from non-covalent substrate-catalyst interactions. The peptide-mediated nitrene transfer was also applied to polyene natural product retinol and selective proximal functionalization allowed access to a cis-pyrroline modified retinoid.
Keywords: aziridination; nitrene transfer; peptide ligands; polyene natural products; site-selectivity.