In the years since the publication of Atherton and Sheppard's volume, the technique of Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis has matured considerably and is now the standard approach for the routine production of peptides. The basic problems at the time of publication of this earlier work have now for the most part, been solved. As a result, innovators in the field have focussed their efforts to develop methodologies and chemistry for the synthesis of more complex structures. The focus of this new volume is much broader, and covers the essential procedures for the production of linear peptides and more advanced techniques for preparing cyclic, side-chain modified, phospho- and glycopeptides. Many other methods also deserving attention have been included: convergent peptide synthesis; peptide-protein conjugation; chemoselective ligation; and chemoselective purification. The difficult preparation of cysteine and methionine-containing peptides is also covered, as well as methods for overcoming aggregation during peptide chain assembly. Many of the techniques developed for the production of large arrays of peptides by parallel synthesis, such as t-bag, SPOT and PIN synthesis, have naturally been included. Finally, a survey of available automated instrumentation has also been provided.
