A range of tertiary amines was constructed using a ''traceless'' linke
r on a polystyrene resin (REM resin), starting from secondary amines,
primary amines, and resin-bound ''ammonia''. The methodology is charac
terized by three essential steps conducted under ambient conditions: (
1) coupling of the starting amine (Michael addition) to the resin, (2)
activation (quaternization), and (3) cleavage of the product amine (H
ofmann elimination). The linker is compatible with both acid and base
sensitive protecting group strategies. The nature of the chemistry ens
ures that the tertiary amine products are obtained in consistently hig
h purity (95% or greater). After cleavage of the product, REM resin is
regenerated and can be reused for repeat syntheses. The yield and pur
ity of repeat batches is maintained over 5 cycles, allowing the automa
ted synthesis of > 0.5 g quantities of pure tertiary amine.