Nickel-Catalyzed Deaminative Allenylation of Amino Acid Derivatives: Catalytic Activity Enhanced by an Amide-Type NN 2 Pincer Ligand.

Herein, we report a general and practical nickel-catalyzed deaminative allenylation of amino acid derivatives with terminal alkynes. The well-designed, electron deficient, and sterically hindered amide-type NN 2 pincer ligand was crucial to the success of this transformation, enabling the coupling to occur under mild conditions with high efficiency. The remarkable features of this chemistry are its good scalability, its broad substrate scope, functional group tolerance, and the efficient modification of peptides, drugs, and natural products.