Structural studies of reagents for peptide bond formation: Crystal and molecular structures of HBTU and HATU

Abstract

X-ray structure determinations of HBTU and HATU, well-known reagents for peptide bond formation, show that the solid-state structures of these compounds differ markedly from those commonly presented in the literature. The solid-state structures are isomers of the N,N,N',N'-tetramethyluronium salt formulation commonly written for HBTU and HATU. HBTU and HATU, obtained either directly from synthesis or from CH3CN solution, crystallize as the guanidinium N-oxide isomers. Both compounds crystallize in nearly identical conformations, despite marked differences in crystal packing. © 1994 ESCOM Science Publishers B.V.