Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
Online ISSN : 1347-5223
Print ISSN : 0009-2363
ISSN-L : 0009-2363
Communication to the Editor
Tantalum-Catalyzed Peptide Elongation of Unprotected Amino Acids Using N-Trimethylsilylimidazole
Tomohiro Hattori Haruna WatanabeYuki MatsunagaHisashi Yamamoto
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2025 Volume 73 Issue 7 Pages 595-599

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Abstract

Unprotected amino acids are completely insoluble in organic solvents, limiting their use in organic synthesis. To address this issue, we report a Ta-catalyzed strategy for the elongation of unprotected amino acids using N-trimethylsilylimidazole. More specifically, silylation of the unprotected amino acids was carried out at both termini to generate a linear intermediate that was soluble in organic solvents, thereby permitting the efficient introduction of amino acid esters at the C-terminus. Furthermore, the in situ silicon protection approach employed herein was applicable to varying lengths of amino acid chains, leading to the generation of N-unprotected β-, γ-, and δ-peptides without any loss of enantio- or diastereopurity. These innovative results have facilitated the elimination of several steps in the preparation of desired peptides and have simplified the synthesis of peptides containing long-chain amino acids and branched peptides.

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© 2025 Author(s).
Published by The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan

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