En Route to a Heterogeneous Catalytic Direct Peptide Bond Formation by Zr-Based Metal–Organic Framework Catalysts

Peptide bond formation is a challenging, environmentally and economically demanding transformation. Catalysis is key to circumvent current bottlenecks. To date, many homogeneous catalysts able to provide synthetically useful methods have been developed, while heterogeneous catalysts remain largely restricted to the studies addressing the prebiotic formation of peptides. Here, the catalytic activity of Zr6-based metal–organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) toward peptide bond formation is investigated using dipeptide cyclization as a model reaction. Unlike previous catalysts, Zr-MOFs largely tolerate water, and reactions are carried out under ambient conditions. Notably, the catalyst is recyclable and no additives to activate the COOH group are necessary, which are common limitations of previous methods. In addition, a broad reaction scope tolerates substrates with bulky and Lewis basic groups. The reaction mechanism was assessed by detailed mechanistic and computational studies and features a Lewis acid activation of carboxylate groups by Zr centers toward amine addition in which an alkoxy ligand on adjacent Zr sites assists in lowering the barrier of key proton transfers. The proposed concepts were also used to study the formation of intermolecular peptide bond formation. While intrinsic challenges associated with the catalyst structure and water removal limit a more general intermolecular reaction scope under current conditions, the results suggest that further design of Zr-MOF catalysts could render these materials broadly useful as heterogeneous catalysts for this challenging transformation.