Oligonucleotide synthesis, combinatorial strategies

While PEG-based supports are widely used for liquid-phase combinatorial chemistry, other non-PEG-based soluble polymers have also been reported for combinatorial applications. A recent review (276) contains an exhaustive list of homo- and copolym-eric soluble supports used in peptide, oligonucleotide, and oligosaccharide synthesis, including combinatorial chemistry. Two of these supports have also been used for small organic molecule synthesis. Homopolymeric polyvinyl alcohol was used in conjunction with PEG for a protection/derivatization strategy in solution (284), and the copolymer between isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid was used in the catalytic hydrogenation of a Cbz group (285). 

During the development stages of combinatorial chemistry, it was beheved that efficient synthesis was only possible only by using solid-phase strategies. In part, this was influenced by the rapid and highly efficient synthesis of peptides and oligonucleotides by robots on solid support materials. One should bear in mind. 

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