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