SOLID-PHASE SYNTHESIS

Solid phase synthesis is a rapidly expanding area of synthetic chemist ry which has been concerned with the synthesis of diverse collections of ''drug-like'' molecules for use in the drug discovery process. The aim of this review is to introduce the basic concepts and practices of solid phase synthesis to the synthetic chemist. This includes choice of support, linker, development of the synthetic route, reaction monit oring and basic experimental aspects for carrying out reactions on the solid phase. These points are illustrated with the aid of some recent examples from the literature.