Abstract
This column illustrates the use of the polymer-supported reagent, polystyrene carbodiimide (d–PS–CDI) in the synthesis of an amide library that was constructed during a search for small molecules that selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Carbodiimides are reagents that couple amines and carboxylic acids to generate amides under mild conditions (see Equation 1) with the corresponding urea as a by-product. If the carbodiimide is supported on polymer beads the resulting amide is formed in solution, while the by-product urea remains insoluble and attached to the polymer, simplifying separations. Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a highly conserved process used by organisms to remove unwanted or damaged cells