Methods of Non-a-Amino Acid Synthesis, 2nd Edition

xix

Introduction

The chemistry of amino carboxylic acids, or just amino acids, has been studied

for well over a century. The importance of α-amino acids [RCH(NH

2

)COOH] in

mammalian biology and as synthetic intermediates is well established, and there

have been many reviews, several monographs, and thousands of individual research

papers in this area. Indeed, amino acids are among the most important and useful

compounds known, particularly α-amino acids. However, there are many other

amino carboxylic acids with a structure that has the amino group on a carbon

that is not immediately adjacent to the carboxyl group (the α position), but rather