Coupling Reagents and Methods for Solid-Phase Synthesis

15 COUPLING REAGENTS AND METHODS FOR SOLID-PHASE SYNTHESIS 

The reagents and methods employed for coupling in solid-phase synthesis are the same as for synthesis in solution, but a few are excluded because they are unsuitable. The mixed-anhydride method (see Section 2.6) and l-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-l,2-dihydroquinoline (see Section 2.15) are not used because there is no way to eliminate aminolysis at the wrong carbonyl of the anhydride. Acyl azides (see Section 2.13) are too laborious to make and too slow to react. The preparation of acyl chlorides (see Section 2.14) is too complicated for their routine use this may be rectified, however, by the availability of triphosgene (see Section 7.13). That leaves the following choices, bearing in mind that a two to three times molar excess of protected amino acid is always employed. 

A carbodiimide is added to the two reacting species. The urea generated from dicyclohexylcarbodiimide is insoluble and voluminous, so it is often replaced by diisopropylcarbodiimide, which generates a soluble urea. The soluble carbodiimide ethyl-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (see Section 1.16) is suitable but expensive. Efficiency of coupling is greater in dichloromethane than in dimethylformamide. There is also the option of adding 1-hydroxybenzotriazole to minimize the side reactions of A-acylurca (see Section 2.12), cyano (see Section 6.15), and aspartimide (see Section 6.13) formation. 

The symmetrical anhydride is prepared using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in dichloromethane, the urea and solvent are removed, and the anhydride is dissolved in dimethylformamide and added to the peptide-resin (see Section 2.5). The anhydride is a more selective acylating agent than the 0-acylisourea and, thus, gives cleaner reactions than do carbodiimides, but twice as much amino-acid derivative is required, so the method is wasteful. It avoids the acid-catalyzed cyclization of terminal glutaminyl to the pyroglutamate (see Section 6.16) and is particularly effective for acylating secondary amines (see Section 8.15). 

Activated esters (see Section 2.9) with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole as a catalyst are employed — pentafluorophenyl or 4-oxo-3,4-dihydrobenzotriazin-3-yl esters in particular for continuous-flow systems and special cases such as dicarboxylic amino acids. Other activated esters are not reactive enough. An alternative is preparation of benzotriazolyl esters using a carbodiimide followed by addition of the solution to the peptide-resin. 

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