Synthesis and explosion hazards of 4-Azido-L-phenylalanine

摘要

A reliable, scalable, cost-effective, and chromatography-free synthesis of 4-azido-L-phenylalanine beginning from L-phenylalanine is described. Investigations into the safety of the synthesis reveal that the Ullman-like Cu(I)-catalyzed azidation step does not represent a significant risk. The isolated 4-azido-L-phenylalanine product, however, exhibits previously undocumented explosive characteristics.