Synthesis of Next Generation Maleimide Radical Labels

The synthesis and characterization of four new nitroxide-radical-containing next-generation maleimides are presented. Each new label has a single leaving group which is either a phenoxyl or bromide. The linker between the maleimide and the nitroxide-containing framework is either a racemic mixture of a short chain or an achiral longer chain. These molecules have been designed to site-specifically label vicinal cysteines in proteins for magnetic resonance studies. The characterization of the final products includes crystallography and the labeling of sperm whale myoglobin protein.