Chemistry of α‐Phosphanyl α‐Amino Acids

After a short introduction on potential applications and types of phosphanyl‐substituted α‐amino acids the current knowledge on syntheses of acyclic and heterocyclic α‐phosphanyl α‐amino acids, their structural features, properties, reactivity and usability in Ni‐catalyzed ethylene oligomerizations is reviewed with the aim to encourage further studies with these new hybrid phosphane ligands and their N‐ and carboxy‐protected as well as functionalized derivatives are still unexplored. The synthesis, structure, and reactivity of α‐phosphanyl α‐amino acids, comprising phosphanylglycines, phosphaprolines including 4‐amino‐5‐oxo‐derivatives and benzanellated analogues, accessible by convenient one‐pot three‐component or multi‐step syntheses, are reviewed. Usability in catalytic reactions, shown for ethylene oligomerization, may inspire further developments and potential applications.