Side reactions in peptide synthesis: An overview

Abstract

Peptide synthesis involves condensation of two or more amino acids which seems to be easier but requires specialized techniques. Since all the amino acids have basic skeleton but vary in their side chains, and their nature such as acidic, basic or neutral depending on the presence or absence of functional groups, these side chains are prone to side reactions during the process of synthesis either due to interaction with the solvent used for synthesis or during the process of the deprotection of the specific groups. It could also occur due to lower rate of reaction where the amino acids reacting forms byproducts leading to the lesser yield of the desired peptide chain. In the present document, the side reactions that occur are described in brief with their mechanism. All the images of the reactions in this document were drawn using ChemDraw software and have been made strong efforts to make the explanations to be clear and easier to understand.