Solid-phase precipitation and extraction, a new separation process applied to the isolation of synthetic peptides

A new method for separation and purification is described. The process, referred to as solid-phase precipitation and extraction (SPPE), was developed and applied to postcleavage isolation of synthetic peptides. The technique uses normal approaches of chromatography and solid-phase extraction sorbents with a precipitation or drying procedure so that the sorbent becomes a support matrix for thin-film deposition of the compounds of interest. This procedure causes precipitated compounds of interest to be trapped on the large surface area or in the pores of the matrix so that by-products and impurities can be removed by strong wash solvents. In application to solid-phase peptide synthesis chemistry, by-products from the cleavage and deprotection are selectively extracted from the crude sample mixture under mild conditions. In comparison to the ether precipitation method used in peptide chemistry, the SPPE process provides isolated products that are 14-17% (w/w) higher purity.