4-Methylmorpholine → Boc-(D)-Met-(L)-Ala-OMe

Participants

Reaction Steps

N-methylmorpholine (5.6 g), L-alanine methyl ester hydrochloride (3.9 g), HOBt (4.6 g) and 1-(3-dimethlylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (5.3 g) was added to a solution of Boc-(D)-Methionine (7 g, 0.028 mol) in dry DMF (50 ml). The mixture was stirred overnight. Solvent was removed by evaporation and the residue was partitioned between dichloromethane (100 ml) and 5% aqueous acetic acid (5 ml). On standing HOBt crystallised and was removed by filtration, and the organic layer was separated and washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried (MgSO4) and evaporated. The residue (8.5 g) was purified by flash chromatography in a sinter funnel eluting with a mixture of dichloromethane and ether (0% to 100% ether). The fractions containing product were combined and evaporated to give Boc-(D)-Met-(L)-Ala-OMe (7.2 g) as a gum which crystallised on standing; NMR (CDCl3): 1.4 (d, 3H), 1.45 (s, 9H), 1.95 (m, 1H), 2.1 (s, 3H), 2.1 (m, 1H), 2.6 (m, 2H), 3.75 (s, 3H), 4.3 (bs, 1H), 4.6 (m, 1H), 5.3 (m, 1H), 6.9 (bs, 1H).

Provenance & Evidence