Site-Selective C–H Amination of Phenol-Containing Biomolecules

A C–N bond-forming cross-dehydrogenative coupling of a collection of Tyr-containing peptides and estrogens with heteroarenes is described. This oxidative coupling is distinguished by its scalability, operational simplicity, and air tolerance and enables the appendance of phenothiazines and phenoxazines in phenol-like compounds. When incorporated into a Tb­(III) metallopeptide, the Tyr-phenothiazine moiety acts as a sensitizer for the Tb­(III) ion, providing a new tool for the design of luminescent probes.