Selective Methylation of Nucleosides via an In Situ Generated Methyl Oxonium

A very mild and efficient procedure has been developed for the preparation of N-methylated uridine, pseudouridine, guanosine and inosine derivatives. This process was compatible with free hydroxyls within the ribose and did not require precautions on the protection or deprotection of other functionalities. The key to this extremely mild methylation without protection relied on the in situ generated methyl oxonium from the Wittig reagent and methanol. A putative mechanism for the selective methylation was also proposed.

Fluorescent Wittig reagent as a novel ratiometric probe for the quantification of 5-formyluracil and its application in cell imaging

For the first time a Wittig reagent was introduced into the design of a fluorescent probe for the quantification of 5-formyluracil.

Synthesis of phosphine oxide based amphiphilic molecules via ring-opening Wittig olefination of a macrocyclic phosphoranylidene and their property study as non-ionic surfactants

A novel ring-opening Wittig olefination approach was developed for the synthesis of amphiphilic phosphine oxides (PO) as non-ionic surfactants. The approach concurrently introduces the crucial functional groups (lipophilic chain and phosphine oxide moiety) present in the known PO surfactants and additional hydrophilic group (i.e., ethylene glycol units) in one step via Wittig olefination of a macrocyclic phosphoranylidene. A series of novel PO compounds were obtained from a variety of aldehydes and selected compounds were examined for their physiochemical properties (surface tension, critical micelle concentration and interfacial tension) and also for their abilities to form emulsions as non-ionic surfactants.

A novel ring-opening Wittig olefination approach was developed for the synthesis of amphiphilic phosphine oxides (PO) as non-ionic surfactants.

Chemoselective and site-selective peptide and native protein modification enabled by aldehyde auto-oxidation

Chemical technology delivers precision engineering of the native protein backbone. A lysine residue undergoes single-site formylation or acylation in a multi-step yet operationally simple one-pot process.

Tandem Wittig/Diels–Alder diversification of genetically encoded peptide libraries

In this paper, we developed a tandem of two carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions to chemically diversify libraries of peptides displayed on a bacteriophage.

Site-selective incorporation and ligation of protein aldehydes

The incorporation of aldehyde handles into proteins, and subsequent chemical reactions thereof, is rapidly proving to be an effective way of generating homogeneous, covalently linked protein constructs that can display a vast array of functionality.

Ylide formal [4 + 1] annulation

Ylide [4 + 1] annulation: beyond small-ring formation.

Finding the right (bioorthogonal) chemistry

Bioorthogonal chemistries can be used to tag diverse classes of biomolecules in cells and other complex environments. With over 20 unique transformations now available, though, selecting an appropriate reaction for a given experiment is challenging. In this article, we compare and contrast the most common classes of bioorthogonal chemistries and provide a framework for matching the reactions with downstream applications. We also discuss ongoing efforts to identify novel biocompatible reactions and methods to control their reactivity. The continued expansion of the bioorthogonal toolkit will provide new insights into biomolecule networks and functions and thus refine our understanding of living systems.