Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis

This protocol uses Fmoc chemistry. The reaction mixture and calculation is based on 0.1mmol of resin, with a target peptide yield of 50-100mg.

Stock Solutions

 * 0.6M HoBt in DMF (0.81g/10ml)
 * 0.6M PyBOP in DMF (3.12g/10mL)
 * 30/70(v/v) Piperidine/DMF solution ,

Ninhydrin Reagents

 * 15g phenol in 4.5mL ethanol
 * 0.0002M KCN in pyridine
 * 500mg ninhydrin in 10mL ethanol

Other Reagents

 * Dichloromethane (DCM)
 * Dimethylformamide (DMF)
 * 4-Methylmorpholine (NMM)

Preparing resin
Weigh out the desired amount of resin and place in a peptide synthesis vessel with a glass frit. Swell the resin in DCM or DMF for at least an hour, preferrably two. The resin can be swelled overnight for use the following morning.

Deprotection
Initial deprotection is only necessary if the resin is attached to a protecting group; however, this is quite likely to be the case.


 * 1)  Swell the resin with 30% piperidine (~ 3ml) for 2 min, stirring occasionally
 * 2)  Swell the resin with 30% piperidine (~ 3ml) for 20 min, stirring occasionally
 * 3)  Wash with at least 30 ml DMF using slow flow to remove piperidine

Coupling

 * 1)  Weigh out 3 resin equivalents (0.3 mmol) of amino acid.
 * 2) Add 500&mu;L HoBt and 500&mu;L PyBOP to amino acid, vortex to dissolve.
 * 3)  Add 5.4 eq (60&mu;L) NMM.  Can use up to 6 equivalents.
 * 4)  Mix by inversion and allow to react for 30-40 seconds.  The solution should turn slightly yellow.
 * 5) *no reaction time needed for Asp, Glu, Cys, or His
 * 6)  Add amino acid mixture to resin.  Allow to react for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 * 7)  Try the ninhydrin test.  If unsuccessful, repeat the test in 30 minute intervals until coupling is complete.  If test shows no change after 2 hours, repeat coupling procedure using the same amino acid.

Ninhydrin Test

 * 1)  Aliquot 20&mu;L of resin from the reaction tube into a filter tube.
 * 2)  Wash the resin aliquot with DMF and DCM, fast flow.  Be sure to rinse well.
 * 3)  Dry the aliquot until it is a powder, then transfer it into a glass culture tube.
 * 4)  Add 40&mu;L phenol/ethanol + 40&mu;L KCN/pyridine + 20&mu;L Ninhydrin/EtOH to the resin aliquot.
 * 5)  Heat the tube at 95 °C for 2-5 minutes.  A bluish color indicates an unfinished reaction.  A completed reaction looks pink.

Capping

 * 1)  Wash the resin with 30mL of DMF (slow flow)
 * 2)  Repeat deprotection procedure to remove the N-terminal Fmoc group
 * 3)  Add 5ml of 10% acetic anhydride/10% NMM in DMF. React for 30 min.
 * 4)  Use the ninhydrin test to check for completion.
 * 5)  Wash resin with 30 mL DMF, slow flow.
 * 6)  Wash resin with DMF, DCM, and hexane in fast flow.
 * 7)  Dry the resin, store in a vial at 4&deg;C until ready to cleave from resin.