Visible-Light-Driven Synthesis of N -Alkyl α-Amino Acid Derivatives from Unactivated Alkyl Bromides and In Situ Generated Imines.

One-pot, multicomponent reactions are known for their green and efficient nature. We report a novel three-component reaction of alkyl amines, alkyl glyoxylates, and unactivated alkyl bromides under visible-light-induced palladium catalysis, yielding N -alkyl unnatural α-amino acid derivatives. This method offers mild conditions, broad substrate scope, and excellent functional group tolerance without requiring stoichiometric organometallic reagents. The approach has promising applications in protein engineering and drug discovery.