Click Reagents

What is Click Chemistry?

Click chemistry can quickly and reliably complete the chemical synthesis of various molecules through the splicing of small units. It places particular emphasis on opening up new methods of combinatorial chemistry based on the synthesis of carbon-heteroatom bonds (C-X-C), and with the help of these reactions (click reactions) to obtain molecular diversity simply and efficiently. Click chemistry has good applications in many fields such as drug development, biomedical material optimization, biomolecular labeling and detection, and has become one of the most popular research fields. Click chemistry complies with the 12 principles of green chemistry and has the following characteristics:

(1) Reaction modularization, such as azide and alkynyl can generate triazole compounds;

(2) Raw materials are easy to obtain and have a wide range of applications;

(3) High reaction yield, good regio and stereoselectivity;

(4) Simple operation, mild reaction conditions, not afraid of water and oxygen;

(5) The product is easy to separate and purify, and can be separated by recrystallization or distillation without chromatographic column separation;

(6) Most reactions involve the formation of carbon-heteroatom (mainly nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur) bonds;

(7) The reaction requires a high thermodynamic driving force (>84kJ/mol);

(8) Click reactions are generally chemical compounds (no by-products) or condensation reactions (products are small molecules such as water).

Fig. 1. Click chemistry reaction.

Applications of Lipids in Click Chemistry

Lipid reagents can participate in click reactions such as copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC). These reactions allow efficient and specific modification of lipids with various functional groups, enabling the synthesis of lipid-based probes, sensors, and imaging agents. In addition, lipid reagents can be used for bioorthogonal labeling of lipids in cells and organisms. This enables the visualization and tracking of lipid metabolism, lipid-protein interactions, and lipid signaling pathways. For example, trifunctional sphingosine can be used to attach various biomolecules such as proteins or antibodies to surfaces or other biomolecules. The azido group can react with other alkyne-containing molecules through the CuAAC reaction to form a stable triazole bond.

DBCO Reagent

DBCO (dibenzocyclooctyne) is a cyclic alkyne that reacts with azide in aqueous solution via a strain-promoted 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, a bioorthogonal reaction also known as copper click reaction. The reaction exhibits excellent selectivity and biocompatibility, allowing complementary reagents to form covalent bonds with functionally rich biological systems. Copper-free click reactions have emerged as powerful tools for catalyst-free bioconjugation. DBCO reagents (such as 18:1 DBCO PE and 16:0 DBCO PE Ammonium salt) have fast kinetics and stability in aqueous buffers and can be used to label azide-modified biomolecules with high specificity and reactivity.

Fig. 2. DBCO reagent for click chemistry.

BOC Sciences is a leading supplier of lipid click reagents for lipid labeling and detection in a variety of research applications. BOC Sciences offers a wide variety of lipid click reagents, including azide- or alkyne-functionalized lipids, phospholipids, cholesterol, and fatty acids. The company has state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that can synthesize lipid click reagents on a large scale to meet the needs of customers. In addition to providing standard lipid click reagents, BOC Sciences also offers custom synthesis services. Customers can request specific modifications to lipid click reagents based on their research needs.