Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jan 31.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2014 Nov 15;0:27–37. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.10.020

Figure 2. Bioorthogonal reactions occur selectively between two abiotic functional-groups.

Figure 2

(A) The Staudinger ligation allows for the coupling of azides with triarylphosphine reagents. (B) The Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) gives a stable triazole product from azides and alkynes. This common bioorthogonal reaction can be performed in both directions; however, azide-tags give reduced background signals. (C) Cyclooctyne reagents will react with azides in a strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC). (D) Tetrazines will undergo rapid inverse-demand Diels-Alder reactions with activated alkyenes, such as cyclopropenes.