A versatile synthesis of cyclic dipeptides using the stepwise construction of the piperazine‐2,5‐dione ring from simple precursors: synthetic sequence and the structure of a representative product, (3RS)‐4‐(2‐allyl‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐1‐benzyl‐3‐phenylpiperazine‐2,5‐dione

A versatile synthesis of multiply substituted cyclic dipeptides has been designed, based on the stepwise construction of the piperazine‐2,5‐dione ring using molecular fragments from four different precursor molecules. Starting from substituted 2‐allylanilines, reaction with methyl 2‐bromo‐2‐phenylacetate yields the corresponding methyl 2‐(2‐allylanilino)‐2‐phenylacetates, which react with haloacetyl chlorides to give methyl 2‐[N‐(2‐allylphenyl)‐2‐haloacetamido]‐2‐phenylacetates, which then undergo ring closure with benzylamine to yield the corresponding cyclic dipeptides of type 4‐(2‐allylphenyl)‐1‐benzyl‐3‐phenylpiperazine‐2,5‐dione. (3RS)‐4‐(2‐Allyl‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐1‐benzyl‐3‐phenylpiperazine‐2,5‐dione, C28H28N2O2, (IIId), crystallizes with Z′ = 2 in the space group P21/c; the allyl groups in the two independent molecules adopt different conformations and, in one of them, the allyl group is disordered over two sets of atomic sites having occupancies of 0.534 (4) and 0.466 (4). In both molecules, the piperazine‐2,5‐dione ring adopts a boat conformation, with the 3‐phenyl ring in a quasi‐axial site. The molecules of (IIId) are linked into a three‐dimensional framework structure by a combination of three C—H…O hydrogen bonds and three C—H…π(arene) hydrogen bonds. Comparisons are made with some related structures. Multiply substituted cyclic dipeptides are synthesized using the stepwise construction of the piperazine‐2,5‐dione ring from four simple molecular precursors. In (3RS)‐4‐(2‐allyl‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐1‐benzyl‐3‐phenylpiperazine‐2,5‐dione, the piperazine‐2,5‐dione ring adopts a boat conformation and the combined action of six independent hydrogen bonds links the molecules into a three‐dimensional array.