Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is an Fmoc-protected, free amino acid derivative of L-lysine bearing a nicotinoyl (Nic) acyl group on the side-chain ε-amino functionality, yielding a lysine-based building block for peptide chemistry. The molecule contains an Fmoc carbamate protecting group on the α-amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and a side chain that is sterically and electronically modified by the nicotinoyl substituent while retaining the L stereochemical configuration indicated by the name. In synthesis and chemical biology workflows, it is used as a protected lysine synthon to control chemoselectivity at the α-amino position during stepwise peptide assembly and to introduce a nicotinoyl-functionalized lysine side chain for structure-activity studies, conjugation handle design, or analytical method development involving labeled or modified peptide frameworks.
CAT No: CP25663
CAS No:252049-11-9
Synonyms/Alias:252049-11-9;C27H27N3O5;AmbotzFAA1726;Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH;SCHEMBL800042;MolPort-008-267-731;6936AH;ZINC15721396
Chemical Name:N-alpha-(9-Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl)-N-epsilon-nicotinyl-L-lysine
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is an Fmoc-protected, L-lysine-derived amino acid bearing a nicotinoyl (Nic) acyl group on the ε-amino side chain, yielding a stable Nε-acylated lysine building block for peptide chemistry. The molecule contains a stereogenic α-carbon in the L-configuration, a protected α-amino function masked by the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) group, and a carboxylic acid suitable for amide bond formation at the C-terminus during coupling. The nicotinoyl substituent introduces a heteroaromatic pyridine ring with an amide linkage, enabling controlled side-chain reactivity and downstream functionalization via selective acyl removal or transformation. The combination of an orthogonally protected α-amino group and a side-chain acylated lysine motif supports stepwise peptide assembly and provides a chemically defined handle for medicinal chemistry and chemical biology workflows.
1. Peptide Synthesis
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is applied in solid-phase peptide synthesis where the Fmoc group supports base-labile deprotection to expose the α-amino functionality for iterative coupling cycles. The lysine α-carboxylic acid and the protected stereocenter enable formation of well-defined peptide bonds while maintaining the L-configuration throughout synthesis. The ε-amino is masked as a nicotinoyl amide, which suppresses undesired side reactions during chain elongation and allows controlled side-chain presentation after synthesis or during segment coupling strategies. The resulting peptides can incorporate a lysine side chain bearing a pyridine-containing acyl motif, supporting sequence-defined studies, fragment assembly, and peptidomimetic construction from protected amino acid building blocks. Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH thus functions as a stereochemically consistent lysine derivative for peptide science and synthetic methodology development.
2. Side-Chain Functionalization
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is suitable for amino acid derivatization and side-chain engineering in which the nicotinoyl group provides a heteroaromatic pyridine unit embedded within the lysine side chain. The acylated ε-amide can be used as a chemically stable protecting-group-like element that modulates nucleophilicity of the ε-nitrogen during multi-functional synthesis, while the pyridine ring can participate in coordination, hydrogen-bonding, and site-specific conjugation designs. Selective deacylation or chemical transformation of the side-chain amide can enable conversion to alternative lysine-like functionalities for subsequent coupling, labeling, or scaffold diversification. Downstream derivatives may include pyridine-bearing peptide analogs, heteroaromatic linkers for bioconjugation, and intermediates for medicinal chemistry SAR campaigns. The compound's orthogonal protection pattern aligns with amino acid chemistry strategies that separate α-amino reactivity from side-chain modification steps.
3. Chemical Biology Labeling
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is utilized in chemical biology research where lysine side-chain incorporation supports the synthesis of probes, affinity handles, and defined molecular tags. The Fmoc-protected α-amino group enables controlled peptide assembly to generate sequence-specific labeling reagents, while the nicotinoyl-pyridine motif can serve as a recognition element for binding studies or as a functional anchor for further conjugation chemistry. The pyridine nitrogen and the side-chain amide linkage provide predictable electronic features that can influence solubility, binding orientation, and chemical stability of labeling constructs. Peptide-based probes prepared from Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH can be applied in biomolecule interaction mapping, receptor-ligand mimicry studies, and analytical experiments requiring defined heteroaromatic substitution patterns. The compound thereby supports chemically defined biomolecule modification and molecular recognition-oriented probe design.
4. SAR Studies And Peptidomimetics
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is applied in drug discovery workflows focused on structure-activity relationship studies and peptidomimetic scaffold optimization. The stereochemically defined L-lysine backbone, coupled with the nicotinoyl side chain containing a pyridine ring, enables systematic variation of side-chain electronics and hydrogen-bonding capacity without altering backbone stereochemistry. The protected lysine format supports incorporation into peptide analogs and constrained mimetics where side-chain functional groups must be introduced reproducibly across series. The nicotinoyl moiety can be leveraged as a handle for subsequent medicinal chemistry transformations, including heteroaromatic modification, linker exchange, or conversion to alternative side-chain functionalities for analog generation. Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH therefore serves as a practical chiral amino acid intermediate for constructing SAR libraries and peptidomimetic candidates with controlled side-chain architecture.
5. Pharmaceutical Intermediate Preparation
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is relevant to pharmaceutical manufacturing and fine chemical synthesis as a protected amino acid intermediate used to build defined peptide segments and controlled side-chain motifs during process-scale peptide production. The Fmoc group provides a robust, base-triggered deprotection handle compatible with standard peptide manufacturing conditions, while the nicotinoyl protection on the ε-amino reduces side reactions from lysine's primary amine during coupling and purification. The carboxylic acid functionality supports incorporation into peptide sequences or activation for intermediate transformations that feed downstream manufacturing steps. The pyridine-containing side chain can be used to introduce heteroaromatic elements that may be required for solubility tuning, binding-site mimicry, or chemical stability in final peptide-like intermediates. Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH thus supports reproducible intermediate generation for industrial peptide chemistry and applied synthetic manufacturing routes.
6. Analytical Standards
Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH is suitable for analytical research and method development where defined protected amino acid structures are needed as reference materials for LC-MS, HPLC, and peptide mapping workflows. The combination of Fmoc and a nicotinoyl side chain creates a characteristic fragmentation and chromatographic signature that can assist in confirming identity of lysine-containing intermediates and monitoring deprotection or acyl-transfer processes. The L-configuration and the orthogonal protection pattern help ensure that analytical comparisons reflect stereochemically and structurally consistent targets rather than mixtures of unprotected or differently substituted lysine species. Peptide fragments synthesized from Fmoc-L-Lys(Nic)-OH can also serve as standards for verifying side-chain incorporation of pyridine-bearing lysine motifs in sequence-defined constructs. The compound's defined structure therefore supports reliable analytical characterization across amino acid derivatization, protected amino acid chemistry, and peptide intermediate quality control.
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