Synthesis of hexa- and pentasubstituted diketopiperazines from sterically hindered amino acids.

Steric hindrance assists in the formation of hindered diketopiperazines using acyl-transfer coupling. In acyl-transfer coupling, the carboxylate of an unprotected N-alkylamino acid attacks an active ester to form a transient anhydride that undergoes an O,N acyl transfer to form a tertiary amide. If the active ester is part of an N-alkylamino acid it will form a diketopiperazine. It is demonstrated here that acyl-transfer coupling can assemble highly functionalized bis-peptides bearing a functional group on every monomer.