The synthesis of non-natural amino acids and their incorporation into proteins is an increasingly exciting area of research that is developing rapidly. The aim is to synthesize amino acids whose incorporation into proteins changes their properties, e.g. increases their stability, functionality and specificity. The main objective of this thesis was to synthesise a non-natural amino acid, azahistidine, an analogue of the natural histidine. The synthesis was carried out by a copper-catalysed reaction between propargyl glycine and hydrazoic acid formed in situ during synthesis between sodium azide and methanoic acid. The azahistidine prepared has a triazole ring on the side chain, which, among others, can represent the coordinating site for metals. I performed titrations of 1,2,3-triazole (1H-1,2,3-triazole) to test which metals can bind to the triazole fragment of the non-natural amino acid and to what extent. I found that the 1H-1,2,3-triazole most efficiently binds cobalt and zinc ions.
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