A critical factor in the successful amide bond formation step during peptide synthesis is the selection of an appropriate activating or condensing rea…

A critical factor in the successful amide bond formation step during peptide synthesis is the selection of an appropriate activating or condensing reagent. We are pleased to report that a new coupling reagent with improved properties over traditional condensing agents is now available from Peptides International. This new reagent was developed by Luxembourg Industries in Israel (1) and performs as good or better than traditional reagents such as HBTU and PyBOP?. Reports indicate that HCTU shows improved peptide purity in the trial synthesis of Lys10-Phe3-Amide [K10-F3-Amide]. The synthesis utilized Rink Amide resin with standard Fmoc coupling protocols using 4 fold excess of amino acids and 8 fold excess of NMM in DMF. The crude peptide obtained after cleavage with Reagent K [TFA: H2O: thioanisole: ethanedithiol; phenol 85:5:5:2.5:2.5] yielded higher purity with HCTU (97%) when compared to PyBOP (85%). Also stability studies have shown that HCTU remained colorless throughout typical and long peptide synthesis times therefore the reagent is considered to be quite stable. In addition HCTU reagent is reported to be non-poisonous, non-corrosive and is not a dermal irritant.

Luxembourg Industries Ltd. is a chemical producer manufacturing and marketing crop protection products and specialty chemicals.Luxembourg is a private company, established in Israel about 100 years ago. Luxembourg's strength is its innovative and experienced professional team, high quality products and efficient operation.Crop protection chemicals allow an economic and efficient growth of a large variety of agricultural products for food, feed, fiber and energy.Intermediates for the pharmaceutical industry are intended for research and manufacture of biotechnological advanced pharmaceuticals. Luxembourg’s products are available in many countries. With years of experience in field research and development and with technical expertise, Luxembourg has become a leading crop protection specialist in Israel.