Development of novel synthetic methodology
Projects in this area stem from our own needs for new organic transformations or, more generally, from a recognized need in the organic chemistry community for a new method. In the former vein, we have recently developed new reagents for the guanylation of amines (i.e., their conversion to guanidines) [see ref. 17]. In the latter vein, we have developed a novel, cyclic dipeptide catalyst for an asymmetric version of the Strecker amino acid synthesis. This latter finding has led to a broad effort directed toward the use of cyclic dipeptide catalysts in asymmetric carbon-carbon bond forming reactions [see ref. 13]. This work has recently been highlighted in Chemical and Engineering News (April 28, 1997; p. 26-27; May 19, 1997; p. 38-40). We have initiated another broad effort in the area of reactions on solid supports, an area that has seen a tremendous growth in interest as a result of its application to the increasingly important subject of combinatorial synthesis [see ref. 15 and 22]. Our first efforts in this area were directed toward the synthesis of cyclic dipeptides for our studies of catalysie. Other projects involve the synthesis of peptidomimetics and macrocyclic lactams on a solid support.