Synthesis of 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyloxycarbonylamino acids and their use in peptide chemistry.

2-(Trimethylsilyl)ethyl-4-nitrophenyl carbonate has been prepared as a new reagent for the introduction of the 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyloxycarbonyl group into amino acids or amino acid derivatives. The resulting N alpha-protected amino acids were found to represent suitable intermediates for the synthesis of peptides. The amino-protecting group proved to be stable under the usual conditions of peptide synthesis and readily cleaved in selective conditions via fluoride ion-mediated fragmentation.