2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol as a solvent to control nucleophilic peptide arylation†‡
Diana Gimenez,Anica Dose,Nicholas L. Robson,Graham Sandford,Steven L. Cobb,Christopher R. Coxon
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry Pub Date : 04/21/2017 00:00:00 , DOI:10.1039/C7OB00295E
Abstract

The SNAr arylation of peptides with perfluoroaromatics provides a route by which to install a useful chemical handle that enables both 19F-NMR analysis and further chemical modification. However, chemo-selective arylation in peptides containing multiple nucleophilic side chains currently presents a challenge to the field. Herein, we demonstrate that employing 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) as a solvent in peptide SNAr reactions significantly improves nucleophile-selectivity when compared to N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF).

Graphical abstract: 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol as a solvent to control nucleophilic peptide arylation