The attachment of dyes to amino acids / by Michael John Millan.

Abstract

This thesis aims to attach dyes to amino acids in a protein. The study examines the 1,4-addition (Michael type) of the nucleophilic groups present in a protein onto a conjugated alkyne reactive group bound to a dye moiety. The initial studies examine the reactivity of individual amino acids with nucleophilic side chains which are common in proteins towards conjugated alkynes. The second stage of the project requires the synthesis of a series of compounds such as those where a dye is attached to a conjugated alkyne via a spacer unit. The reactivity of these compounds with the individual amino acids is studied, as well as the attachment of compounds of this type to, initially, short peptides, and later to a protein such as wool.