Abetractp-X-a-cyano-p-styrenyl esters ( X = H, C1, CF NO ) of N-benzyloxycarbonyl valine were prepared. The rate constant foZ'ami8e formation with methyl valinate was assayed: it increases with increasing electron attracting power of the para substituent. The p-hydroxysuccinimidoyl ester and the p-H-acyano-p-styrenyl ester of valine have comparable reactivities.
Ukroduct i wThere is a vivid interest in synthetic methods for peptides, required as servants for research and medicine.A concept which has hitherto resisted reduction to practice is that of the transformation of an unreactive ester of an amino acid ( o r of an oligopeptide) to a reactive one. In this connection, some years ago Treiber (1) published a short note describing the one-pot conversion shown below in Scheme 1.
SCHEME.The relatively inert phenacyl esters of the N-protected amino acid react with HCN/KCN in dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent to yield a-cyano-p-styrenyl esters Prot-Xaa-OCs, which reportedly (1) couple with methyl glycinate (12 h) to the dipeptide in an overall yield of m 50% (quantitative thin layer chromatography). As this unsatisfactory yield could be due either to incomplete conversion of the amino acid phenacyl ester to Prot-Xaa-OCs o r to a low reactivity of the latter, we now report (i) on the preparation and isolation of the compounds Prot-Xaa-OCs by other routes and (ii) on a study of their reactivity towards amino acid esters.-267 -