Single‐Step Synthesis of Dehydroalanine Derivatives via a Brønsted Acid‐Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction

A single-step practical synthesis of dehydroalanine (Dha) derivatives from commercially available starting materials is reported. The approach comprises a Brønsted acid-catalyzed three-component condensation reaction of pyruvic acid, an alcohol/thiol, and an amide/carbamate. This protocol provided access to several Dha derivatives, including a novel chiral version modified with diverse functional groups, which might be useful for further transformations in the construction of more complex molecules.