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Updated: Jul 20, 2025

High-Density DNA and RNA microarrays - Photolithographic Synthesis, Hybridization and Preparation of Large Nucleic Acid Libraries
Published on: August 12, 2019
DNA-Compatible Copper/TEMPO Oxidation for DNA-Encoded Libraries
Justice L Merrifield1, Edward B Pimentel1, Trenton M Peters-Clarke1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States.
Abstract:
Aldehydes are important synthons for DNA-encoded library (DEL) construction, but the development of a DNA-compatible method for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes remains a significant challenge in the field of DEL chemistry. We report that a copper/TEMPO catalyst system enables the solution-phase DNA-compatible oxidation of DNA-linked primary activated alcohols to aldehydes. The semiaqueous, room-temperature reaction conditions afford oxidation of benzylic, heterobenzylic, and allylic alcohols in high yield, with DNA compatibility verified by mass spectrometry, qPCR, Sanger sequencing, and ligation assays. Subsequent transformations of the resulting aldehydes demonstrate the potential of this method for robust library diversification.

