Palladium-catalyzed ortho-C–H olefination of phenylalanine and phenylethylamine derivatives assisted by a removable picolinamide group has been achieved. This protocol shows broad substrate scope, functional tolerance and moderate to high yields, thus affording a practical approach for the direct modification of phenylalanine and phenylethylamine derivatives.
Lanthanum trifluoromethanesulfonate is an effective single-component catalyst for synthesizing a variety of amides directly from esters and amines under mild conditions. Highly selective amidation of esters and amines, as well as catalyst-controlled amidation of esters, demonstrated the effectiveness of the catalyst system.