RAPID SYNTHESIS OF ISOPRENOID DIPHOSPHATES AND THEIR ISOLATION IN ONE-STEP USING EITHER THIN-LAYER OR FLASH CHROMATOGRAPHY

A rapid procedure for the preparation of short-chain (C-5-C20) isopren oid diphosphates is described. It is based on the method of Cornforth and Popjak [Methods Enzymol., 15 (1969) 359-390] which utilizes bis-tr iethylammonium phosphate in trichloro-acetonitrile as the phosphorylat ing reagent. The reaction takes place in 15 min, and product isolation , previously requiring several steps, is done in a single step using e ither preparative thin-layer chromatography or flash chromatography on silica. From a single TLC plate, up to 50 mumol of pure farnesyl diph osphate (i.e., ca. 20 mg) can be isolated, while up to 1200 mumol can be isolated using a standard flash chromatography column.