Advances in ultra-high load polymer-supported peptide synthesis with phenolic supports: 2. Use of ‘hydrazinolysis-hplc’ to check for racemization on c-terminal amino acid loading and to determine peptide homogeneity during synthesis with selectively labile c-terminal anchoring linkages

2, 4-Dinitrophenyl-L-phenylalanine has been coupled to L-, D-, and DL-amino acid phenyl esters pendant upon a polymer matrix. The esters had been prepared by di-isopropylcarbodiimide-mediated condensation, catalyzed by 4-dimethylaminopyridine. Reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), using elution solvents consisting of 10 vol.-% trifluoroacetic acid in water/acetonitrile mixtures, has been used to investigate the 2,4-dinitrophenyl L-L and L-D dipeptide mixtures obtained on hydrazinolysis of each of the dipeptide-matrix assemblies. ‘Hydrazinolysis-HPLC’ has been used also to determine intermediate peptide homogeneity in ultra-high load solid (gel) phase synthesis with Boc amino acids. Cross-linked poly(N-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]acrylamide) and two derived polymers incorporating spacer groups have been used as supports. The spacer groups made possible peptide C-terminal attachment by either HF-labile benzyl ester or HF-labile cyclohexyl ester bonds, while still incorporating the phenolic ester linkage susceptible to rapid hydrazinolytic scission.