Tethered benzophenone reagents for the synthesis of photoactivatable ligands.

A new radiolabeled, bifunctional photoaffinity cross-linking reagent, N-succinimidyl p-benzoyl-[2,3-3H2]dihydrocinnamate, has been synthesized in high yield and with high specific activity. This reagent can be used to append the benzophenone photophore to amino groups of small molecules, such as O-aminoalkylinositol polyphosphates and polypeptides. The resulting tritiated photoaffinity labels can be purified and manipulated in ambient light and can be activated at 360 nm.