Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center
Published on: September 28, 2022
Photoinduced Sulfur Hexafluoride-Promoted Site-Selective Phosphonylation of Amino Acids and Peptide Derivatives
Lijiao Zhang1, Mengqi Zheng1, Zhi Zheng1
1State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Abstract:
α-Aminophosphonates are crucial molecular scaffolds in drug development due to their diverse biological activities. However, existing synthetic methods are often limited by a narrow substrate scope, harsh reaction conditions, or reliance on transition metal catalysts and strong oxidants, restricting their applicability. This work reports a photoinduced strategy for the site-selective phosphonylation of amino acids and peptide derivatives to synthesize α-aminophosphonates. The method utilizes sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as an electron acceptor and achieves its degradation during the reaction, enabling the effective utilization of greenhouse gas SF6.
Related Concept Videos
Preparation and Reactions of Sulfides
Sulfur Assimilation
Phase II Reactions: Sulfation and Conjugation with α-Amino Acids
Phosphorylation
During phosphorylation, protein kinases transfer the terminal phosphate group of ATP to specific amino acid side chains of substrate proteins. Serine, threonine, and tyrosine are the most commonly...
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Sulfonation of Benzene
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....

