Non-proteinogenic amino acids as chiral building blocks play an important role in the development of novel pharmaceutical compounds. In some cases, these can be produced from natural amino acids: however, their enantiomers or heterocyclic substitutes, for example, requires chemical synthesis. Solvias has very broad experience in the enantioselective hydrogenation of didehydro amino-acid derivatives as suitable precursors. Both enantiomers can be produced using either enantiomer or diastereomer of the ligand or catalyst system. Solvias can produce the didehydro amino-acid substrates as well as the final required building blocks, delivering up to multi-kilogram amounts of the desired compounds.

In cases where enantioselective hydrogenation might not be successful, a range of other state-of-the-art methodologies for amino-acid syntheses are well established at Solvias. The incorporation of these chiral building blocks into small peptides or pseudopeptides or even complex (natural) products is an additional core competence of Solvias.