Di-tert-butyl Dicarbonate

Di-tert-butyl Dicarbonate

Di-tert-butyl dicarbonate is a reagent widely used in organic synthesis. This carbonate ester reacts with amines to give N-tert-butoxycarbonyl or so-called t-BOC derivatives. These derivatives do not behave as amines, which allows certain subsequent transformations to occur that would have otherwise affected the amine functional group. The t-BOC can later be removed from the amine using acids. Thus, t-BOC serves as a protective group, for instance in solid phase peptide synthesis. It is unreactive to most bases and nucleophiles, allowing for an orthogonal Fmoc protection.