The Synthesis of (2R)-Aziridine-2-carboxylic Acid Containing Dipeptides.

Optimized conditions for the synthesis of fully deprotected (2R)-aziridine containing dipeptides are described. Preparation of fully protected N- and C- terminal aziridine containing dipeptides was found to be straightforward and high yielding for the majority of compounds, whereas their full deprotection was possible only for C-terminal analogs. Deprotection of N-terminal derivatives using standard procedures of peptide chemistry was found difficult providing only mixtures of unidentifiable products. The described molecules have potential as building blocks in synthetic chemistry, in the chemical biology arena, as covalent modifiers, and as biomarkers.