Amino acids whose amino groups are transformed into phthalimido chromophores are versatile substrates for photochemical transformations such as cyclization, isomerization, and P-cleavage. These processes are initiated by homolytic or mesolytic CH activation and depend on the spin state of the excited substrate. Derivatives of a-amino acids without strong electron-donating substituents [Abu, Nva, Val, Leu, Ile, Tle, Phe, Met(SO)] react by initial homolytic CH activation and solely via their first excited singlet states, whereas substrates with strong electron-donating substituents (Tyr, DOPA, Met, Glu, Asp) react by initial photoinduced electron transfer (PET) followed by mesolytic CH activation and solely via their first excited triplet states. The S-alkyl cysteine derivatives are the only ones which show competing singlet and triplet state reactivity with pronounced spin-determined regioselective CH activation. The amino dicarboxylic acids Glu and Asp could be applied as the carboxylates in PET reactions, a strategy which also opened up a new synthetic approach to medium-and large-ring systems.