N-(Cbz-or Fmoc-a-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles 2 and Nprotected peptidoylbenzotriazoles 6 are coupled in aqueous acetonitrile solution with free amino acids or dipeptides to prepare: (i) 22 chirally pure dipeptides 5a-v (in an average yield of 82%) from N-(Cbz-or Fmoc-a-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles 2 and unprotected amino acids, (ii) five chiral tripeptides 7a-e (in an average yield of 75%) from N-protected peptidoylbenzotriazoles 6 and unprotected amino acids, (iii) one chiral tripeptide 7g (62%) from N-(Cbz-or Fmoc-a-aminoacyl)benzotriazole 2a and the free dipeptide 8. In all, N-(Cbz-or Fmoc-a-aminoacyl)benzotriazole derivatives of 17 of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids were used, including those containing the following unprotected side chain functionalities: alcoholic -OH (Ser), indole -NH (Trp), imidazole -NH, phenolic -OH (Tyr), -CONH 2 (Gln, Asn), -SH (Cys), -CO 2 H (Glu, Asp), and -S-S (Cystine). Support for the complete retention of chirality was obtained by parallel experiments involving D-Ala, L-Ala, and DL-Ala for the preparation of di-and tripeptides. This and other evidence for chiral integrity was supported by NMR and HPLC analyses.

No abstract

N-(Protected a-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles are efficient intermediates for N-and O-aminoacylation. These intermediates enable fast preparations of biologically relevant peptides and peptide conjugates in high yields and purity, under mild reaction conditions, with full retention of the original chirality. The developed methodology allows simple solution-and solid-phase preparative techniques to generate complex peptides and peptide conjugates and serves as a platform for generating diverse medicinal chemistry building block libraries involving amino acid and heterocyclic moieties crucial for drug development.

Hindered amino acids have been introduced into peptide chains by coupling N-(Cbz- and Fmoc-alpha-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles with amino acids, wherein at least one of the components was sterically hindered, to provide compounds 3a-e, (3c +3 c'), 5a-d, (5a + 5a'), 6a-c, (6b + 6b'), 8a-c, 9a-e, 10a-d, and (10a + 10a') in isolated yields of 41-95% with complete retention of chirality as evidenced by NMR and HPLC analysis. The benzotriazole activation methodology is a new route for the synthesis of sterically hindered peptides. (Note: compound numbers written within brackets represent diastereomeric mixtures or racemates; compound numbers without brackets represent enantiomers.).

Aspartic and glutamic acids were selectively extended at each of the alternative C-terminals under mild conditions to afford diverse natural and unnatural N-protected dipeptides and tripeptides in yields of 73-96%. The reactions between N-protected (a-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles and free amino acids or dipeptides proceeded with complete retention of chirality as supported by parallel experiments involving D-Ala, L-Ala, and DL-Ala in the preparation of dipeptides and tripeptides, monitored by NMR and HPLC analyses.