Full details are presented for use of the Bsmoc amino-protecting group for both solid phase and rapid continuous solution syntheses. Application to the latter methodology represents a significant improvement over the corresponding Fmoc-based method for rapid solution synthesis due to the opportunity to use water or saturated sodium chloride solution rather than an acidic phosphate buffer to remove all byproducts, with consequent cleaner phase separation and higher yields of the growing peptide. Comparison of the Bsmoc and Bspoc functions showed that the former, because of steric hindrance, does not suffer from the competitive or premature deblocking observed with the Bspoc system. Because of its incorporation of a styrene chromophore, resin loading of Bsmoc amino acids could be followed as has previously been shown for the Fmoc analogues. Applications of Bsmoc chemistry to peptide sequences incorporating the base sensitive Asp-Gly unit gave less contamination due to aminosuccinimide formation than comparable syntheses involving standard Fmoc chemistry because a weaker or less concentrated base could be used in the deblocking step. Experimental details are presented for building up peptides in solution via the continuous methodology. Deblockings involved the use of insoluble piperazino silica as well as the polyamine TAEA which simplified aqueous separation of the growing, but nonisolated peptide product, from excess acylating agent and other side products formed in the deblocking process. By the appropriate choice of base, one can act selectively at either site of a molecule which incorporates both β-elimination and Michael acceptor sites as protective units (Bsmoc vs Fm and Fmoc vs Bsm).

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The Fmoc/TAEA and Bsmoc/TAEA methods for the rapid, continuous solution synthesis of peptide segments are shown to be applicable to the gram-scale synthesis of short peptides as well as, for the first time, to the synthesis of a relatively long (22-mer) segment, (hPTH 13-34). In the latter case the crude product was of significantly greater purity than a sample obtained via a solid-phase protocol. The Bsmoc methodology was optimized by a new technique involving filtration of the growing partially deprotected peptide at each couplingdeprotection cycle through a short column of silica gel.

An introduction to the concepts and experimental techniques of diastereoselective synthesis using a chiral auxiliary is described. The 4-benzyl-2-oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary developed by Evans is acylated with propionic anhydride under mild conditions using DMAP as an acyl transfer catalyst. Deprotonation with NaN(TMS)2 at -78 °C leads to a rigidly chelated enolate that is alkylated by allyl iodide preferentially from the least hindered diastereoface with 98:2 selectivity. Chromatographic purification followed by hydrolytic cleavage of the auxiliary using LiOH/H2O2 gives 2-methyl-4-pentenoic acid in high enantiomeric purity. This exercise gives students the opportunity to gain proficiency with the techniques of modern organic synthesis, including the manipulation of moisture-sensitive reagents, low temperature reactions, column chromatography, TLC, and NMR analysis. The experiment also provides a context for the discussion of important reaction mechanisms, such as acylation and enolate alkylation, and serves to reinforce the critical conceptual distinction between absolute and relative stereochemical control.

Fmoc amino acid fluorides are ideally suited for the efficient esterification of hydroxy resins to give high loading levels with low racemisation.