Direct Biomimetic Synthesis of β‑Carboline Alkaloids from Two Amino Acids

The increasing importance of enzyme
mimics in organic synthesis
inspired us to design a novel biomimetic synthesis of β-carboline
alkaloids directly from tryptophan and a second amino acid. This novel
one-pot protocol utilizes abundant and readily available starting
materials and thus presents a green and user-friendly alternative
to conventional methods that rely on stepwise synthesis. Driven by
molecular iodine and TFA, decarboxylation, deamination, Pictet–Spengler
reaction, and oxidation reactions proceeded sequentially, transforming
biomass amino acids into value-added alkaloid motifs.