Peptide synthesis, organophosphorus

In addition to phosphonium salts, which are widely used for the activation of urethane-protected amino acids in peptide synthesis (see Section 3.7), other organophosphorus reagents derived from phosphinic, phosphonic, and phosphoric adds have proved to be efficient coupling reagents. 

Primary phosphines (R-PHj) are an important ciass of compounds in organophosphorus chemistry. Aithough discovered over a century ago, their chemistry and appiications have gained prominence in recent years. This review discusses recent deveiopments on synthesis, moiecuiar structure, properties, and appiications of primary phosphines. In particular, discussions on synthesis and properties emphasize recent results from our laboratory on the chemical architecture of amide, thioether, and carboxylate functionalized primary bisphos-phines. The utility of bromo- and aminopropyl phosphines (X(CH2)3PH2 X=Br or NH2) as building blocks to produce designer primary phosphines that display exceptional oxidative stability is described. The review also discusses the utility of carboxylate functionalized primary phosphines for incorporation on to peptides and their potential applications in catalysis and biomedicine. 

The oxidation-reduction method, developed initially by Mukaiyama et al. [133] and related to the previously described organophosphorus methods, has permitted a variety of important solid-phase applications. The mechanism of the activation is complex and involves the oxidation of the triaryl/ alkyl-phosphine to the oxide as well as reduction of the disulfide to the mercapto derivative. However, different active species, such as 81 (Fig. 11), the 2-pyridyl thioester, or even the symmetrical anhydride, have been postulated to form. For the intermediate 81, the peptide bond formation may proceed through a (cyclic transition state. The method has been used for conventional stepwise synthesis [134], acylation of the first protected amino acid to a hydroxymethyl resin, and to achieve segment condensation on a solid support in the opposite direction (N C) [135,136]. Lastly, it has been used for efficient grafting of a polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 2000) derivative to an aminomethyl resin to prepare PEG-PS resins [137]. 

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