Pierre Meilland

Rhodium(I)-catalyzed addition of phenols to dienes. A new convergent synthesis of vitamin E

Abstract A highly convergent and atom-economical synthesis of (dl)-[α]-tocopherol (vitamin E) is proposed, the realization of which was made possible by the discovery of the regioselective Rh(I)-catalyzed arylation of β-springene with trimethylhydroquinone. Other phenolic compounds and 2-substituted-1,3-dienes were shown to undergo this transformation.

Peptide synthesis by sappho technology

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates that the SAPPHO process is a new and powerful method of synthesizing peptides, at a low cost, with very good yield and purity. It is the first automated peptide synthesis technology that can be used to synthesize peptide or peptide fragments from 3–15 aminoacids. Peptides are molecules very active at low concentration. They are used in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and nutritional areas. The synthesis of these compounds is very dependant on the sequence and the quantity required. To synthesize short peptides, at high volume and low cost, chemists prefer to use the N carboxyanhydrides (NCA) of aminoacids, protected if necessary on the side chain reactive functional groups.