Improvements to the TMSBr method of peptide resin deprotection and cleavage: application to large peptides.

The original trimethylsilyl bromide (TMSBr) method of peptide resin deprotection and cleavage has been modified for convenience and applicability to larger peptides. Equal amounts of a 66-residue test peptide resin were cleaved by the standard hydrogen fluoride (HF) procedure, the original TMSBr method and the modified TMSBr method. The peptide profile from the original TMSBr cleavage procedure showed multiple products and a lower overall yield. In contrast, the modified TMSBr procedure gave high yields of crude products comparable in purity to those obtained by HF cleavage.