Carbohydrates are notoriously difficult to synthesize, causing researchers to continually search for new methods to simplify and accelerate the process. One approach, automated solid-phase synthesis, has been highly successful in the preparation of the other major biopolymers—peptides and oligonucleotides. The application of solid phase methods to oligosaccharide synthesis, however, has proved to be much more difficult. This is due in part to the lack of fast and simple techniques for monitoring the extent of the cleavage reaction (deprotection) on the solid phase resin. Monitoring is required in order to determine the coupling efficiency and optimize the reaction conditions at each cycle in the process. Researchers at Iowa State University have synthesized a molecule that can be attached to a monomer unit, such as a carbohydrate, prior to chemical coupling to a solid support such that upon cleavage of this molecule, the solution turns orange. The orange color allows the simple colorimetric monitoring of the completion of the cleavage reaction and quantification of the amount of the monomer unit successfully coupled to the solid phase.

File Number: ISURF #3117 

Web site: http://www.techtransfer.iastate.edu/

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