N-(Benzoyloxy)amines: an investigation of their thermal stability, synthesis, and incorporation into novel peptide constructs

A series of N-benzoyloxyamines were pyrolyzed and their decomposition temperatures correlated well with the amine architectureʹs ability to stabilize a N-centered radical. A variety of amine substrates were treated with a biphasic mixture of benzoyl peroxide (BPO), CH2Cl2 and an aqueous carbonate buffer (at pH 10.5). Primary and secondary amines were successfully N-benzoyloxylated in good yield. Tertiary amines and BPO gave low yields of the corresponding N-oxide and complex product mixtures, presumably via radical decomposition. Electron deficient amines (such as fluorinated aliphatic amines, α-aminoacids, α-aminoesters, and α-aminoamides) were not N-benzoyloxylated under these conditions. Instead, N-benzoylation was observed with the fluorinated amines and the reaction was sensitive to temperature and the pH of the aqueous medium. A one-pot-two-step synthesis of Nα-FMOC-l-Leu-Nβ-(benzoyloxy)-β-alanine ethyl ester, a peptide containing both an α- and a novel β-amino acid framework, was also developed.