Convergent solid phase peptide synthesis IV. : Synthesis of the 35–43 and 32–34 protected segments of the toxin II of androctonus australis hector

The protected peptide segments corresponding to the sequences 35–43 and 32–34 of toxin II of the scorpion Androctonus australis Hector have been synthesized on a -alkoxybenzyl ester resin using the base-labile Fmoc -amino protection and HF-labile side chain protecting groups. Crude peptides obtained after trifluoroacetic acid cleavage have been purified by solvent extraction, dimethylacetamide-water precipitation and semi-preparative reversed phase HPLC. Both synthetic and purification protocols have been optimized for good yields and high purity. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry has proved to be a very useful technique to characterize protected peptide segments.