Synthesis of Dehydrodipeptide and N-ethyl-dehydrodipeptide Derivatives with an αAminoisobutyric Acid Residue

Several dipeptides with an N-benzyloxycarbonyl or an N-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl) α-aminoisobutyric acid residue and a β-hydroxyamino acid methyl ester were subjected to dehydration to form dehydrodipeptide derivatives. N-Ethylation of these dipeptides using triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate with potassium tert-butoxide as auxiliary base led to complex mixtures that failed to render pure products. However, when the 4-nitrophenylsulfonyl protecting group was substituted for the benzyloxycarbonyl or tert-butyloxycarbonyl groups and N,N-diisopropylethylamine was substituted for potassium tert-butoxide, the dehydrodipeptide derivatives were selectively N-alkylated at the amino terminal nitrogen in fair to high yields. Alternatively, N-ethylation can be carried out prior to dehydration. Thus, through a combination of dehydration and N-ethylation procedures, it was possible to obtain dipeptides with α-aminoisobutyric acid and dehydroamino acid residues, which are N-alkylated at the amino terminal nitrogen.