Synthesis of the fluorescent amino acid rac-(7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl)ethylglycine

Abstract

The hydrochloride of the racemic amino acid (7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl)ethylglycine, a versatile fluorescent probe in proteins, has been synthesized in five steps from commercially available (7-hydroxycoumarin-4-yl)acetic acid. The key step involves the alkylation of a glycine–enolate equivalent.

Keywords

• alkylation
• coumarin
• fluorescent probe
• glycine
• protecting group