SYNTHESIS OF RETRO-INVERSO PEPTIDE NUCLEIC-ACIDS .1. CHARACTERIZATIONOF THE MONOMERS

Novel monomeric building blocks 4a and 4b of peptide nucleic acids wit h an N-(aminomethyl) beta-alanine backbone ('retro-inverso' PNA) are c onveniently synthesized via Hofmann rearrangement. In the major rotame r the side chain carbonyl points toward the C terminus.