Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. : RESOLV members, Prof. Christian Merten and Prof. Lukas J. Gooßen present a new Pd-catalyzed Schöllkopf-type amino acid synthesis that enables direct conversion of abundant aryl chlorides into valuable arylglycines. Using methylnaphthyl(XPhos)-Pd catalyst, ZnCl₂, and a strong lithium base, the reaction proceeds at room temperature with up to 95% yield and excellent stereocontrol (98:2 dr). Subsequent hydrolysis delivers arylglycines in high enantiomeric excess, offering a powerful route to key drug building blocks.
