LIPIDIC PEPTIDES .1. SYNTHESIS, RESOLUTION AND STRUCTURAL ELUCIDATION OF LIPIDIC AMINO-ACIDS AND THEIR HOMO-OLIGOMERS AND HETEROOLIGOMERS

The alpha-amino acids with long alkyl side chains, the so-called lipidic amino acids 1a - e, and their homo-oligomers, the lipidic peptides 1p - aj, represent a class of compounds which combine the structural properties of peptides and proteins with the characteristics of lipids and membranes. The amino acids were synthesised from the appropriate alkyl bromide and diethyl acetamidomalonate. Resolution was made chemically, by forming diastereomers of the amino acid esters with an optically pure alpha-pinene derivative. The protected homo-oligomers were synthesised in solution with the assistance of a water-soluble carbodimide coupling agent. In order to modify the physical and chemical properties of the peptides, a series of protected hetero-oligomers were prepared, by similar methods, incorporating either other amino acids (3a - d, 7a - i) or side-chain-substituted lipidic amino acids (6a - d).