Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Functionalized Spirocyclic Heterocycle Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Assay
Published on: February 9, 2021
Synthesis and cytotoxicity of a cobaltcarbonyl-alkyne enkephalin bioconjugate
Merja A Neukamm1, Antonio Pinto, Nils Metzler-Nolte
1Lehrstuhl für Anorganische Chemie I - Bioanorganische Chemie, Fakultät für Chemie und Biochemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, D - 44801 Bochum, Germany.
Abstract:
A solid-phase synthesized propargyl derivative of the neuropeptide leucine-enkephalin (Enk) reacts rapidly and quantitatively with Co(2)(CO)(8) to give the Co(2)(CO)(6)-alkyne labeled peptide , which is the first organometallic peptide bioconjugate to show significant toxicity against two different tumor cell lines.
Related Concept Videos
Nomenclature of Alkynes
Dehydration Synthesis
Dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction) is the chemical process in which two molecules covalently link together to form a new molecule, along with the release of a water molecule. Many physiologically important compounds form by dehydration synthesis reactions, such as complex carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Synthesis of carbohydrates
Sugar molecules are covalently linked together by dehydration synthesis. During the reaction, the hydroxyl (-OH) group from...
Acidity of 1-Alkynes
The acidic strength of hydrocarbons follows the order: Alkynes > Alkenes > Alkanes. The strength of an acid is commonly expressed in units of pKa — the lower the pKa, the stronger the acid. Among the hydrocarbons, terminal alkynes have lower pKa values and are, therefore, more acidic. For example, the pKa values for ethane, ethene, and acetylene are 51, 44, and 25, respectively, as shown here.
Preparation of Alkynes: Dehydrohalogenation
Alkynes can be prepared by dehydrohalogenation of vicinal or geminal dihalides in the presence of a strong base like sodium amide in liquid ammonia. The reaction proceeds with the loss of two equivalents of hydrogen halide (HX) via two successive E2 elimination reactions.
Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions
Lagging Strand Synthesis
There are several major differences between synthesis of the leading strand and synthesis of the lagging strand. 1) Leading strand synthesis happens in the direction of replication fork opening, whereas lagging strand synthesis happens in the...

