Title

Synthesis of an Unnatural Fluorescent Amino Acid

Authors

Madeline J. Johnson, Valparaiso UniversityFollow
Thomas Goyne, Valparaiso University

Primary Submission Contact

2199216797

Faculty Sponsor

Thomas Goyne

Faculty Sponsor Email Address

thomas.goyne@valpo.edu

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Chemistry

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Date

Fall 10-26-2018

Abstract

The long-term goal of this project is to chemically synthesize an unnatural fluorescent amino acid (UFAA) that can later be used to build glow-in-the-dark proteins. UFAAs allow investigators to visualize a single protein in an otherwise transparent living cell. The specific UFAA target for this project is L-alanine, 3-[7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl], which is an analog of the natural amino acid tryptophan. This synthesis consists of a coupling reaction followed by a deprotection reaction. Products have been characterized using 1H and 13C NMR, and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). Future tasks could include optimizing the yield and purity of this UFAA.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Madeline Johnson is a senior chemistry major/ biology minor from Valparaiso, Indiana.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Madeline J. and Goyne, Thomas, "Synthesis of an Unnatural Fluorescent Amino Acid" (2018). Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium. 100.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/fires/100

Additional Presentation Information

Wall Poster