Transport phenomena in solid phase synthesis supported by cross-linked polymer beads

Abstract

Solid phase synthesis (SPS) is a powerful tool for synthesizing oligomers, especially peptides, nucleic acids, and glycans. Since Merrifield developed solid phase peptide synthesis in 1963, organic chemistry and analytics have seen major advances. The need to optimize the process regarding cost, time, and energy consumption has renewed the research on previously overlooked transport phenomena. Here, we summarize the current understanding of momentum, heat, and mass transport in SPS reactors, highlighting the progress and identifying the urgent questions to be addressed.