Custom ncAA Synthesis Service

Non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) are synthetically designed amino acids whose structures differ from those found in nature. They may be created by modifying natural amino acids to enhance specific properties, or by designing entirely new scaffolds to introduce unique functionalities.

With their ability to provide precise chemical handles for bioconjugation, labeling, and functional modulation, ncAAs are indispensable in protein engineering, therapeutic development, biosensor design, and structural biology.

At Alfa Chemistry, our custom ncAA synthesis service offers precise design, synthesis, and optimization of amino acids with unnatural side chains, reactive groups, or modified stereochemistry — ensuring high purity, reliable performance, and biological compatibility for your applications.

Our Synthesis Capabilities

We offer a full spectrum of synthetic approaches, covering both α-amino acids and β-amino acids, enabling tailored production of ncAAs for diverse research and industrial needs.

Synthesis of α-Amino Acids

Strecker amino acid synthesis
Bucherer–Bergs reaction
Carbonyl α-nitrogen introduction
Glycine fragment introduction
Addition of α-imidoester
Substitution of nitroacetate
Azidoacetate substitution

Specific α-Amino Acid Derivatives

Phenylalanine derivatives
Arylglycine compounds
Proline derivatives
Tryptophan derivatives
Alkyl/alkenyl long-chain amino acids

Synthesis of β-Amino Acids

Arndt–Eistert homologation
Baylis–Hillman reaction
Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated compounds
Reformatsky reaction
Aziridine ring-opening reaction
Optical resolution or asymmetric synthesis

Customization Options

✅ Side-Chain Modifications – Azide (-N₃), alkyne, thiol (-SH), NHS ester, biotin, fluorescent tags, tetrazine, etc.

✅ Stereochemical Control – L-, D-, or DL-enantiomers with high optical purity

✅ Backbone Modifications – Stability enhancement, bioavailability improvement, receptor selectivity tuning

✅ Application-Specific Design – For incorporation via genetic code expansion or chemical conjugation

Applications

Protein Engineering – Site-specific labeling and conjugation
Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs) – Precision linker chemistry using ncAAs
Biosensors & Imaging Probes – Environment-sensitive and fluorescent amino acids
Peptide Therapeutics – Stability enhancement and pharmacokinetic optimization
Enzyme Mechanism Studies – Structural and functional probing of active sites

Why Choose Alfa Chemistry?

Extensive Synthetic Expertise – Decades of combined experience in organic and peptide chemistry
High-Quality Analytical Validation – NMR, LC–MS, and HPLC to ensure structural accuracy and purity
Flexible Customization – From minor modifications to completely novel amino acid scaffolds
Scalable Production – From milligrams for research to multi-gram batches for pilot projects