2-Morpholinoethylisocyanide as a coupling agent for hapten-protein conjugates

Conjugation of haptens to proteins and enzymes is essential for the production of antibodies and development of ELISAs for these low molecular weight compounds. In this study, protein conjugates of several carboxylic haptens were prepared using the peptide synthesis reagent, 2-morpholinoethylisocyanide. The haptens included derivatives of benzimidazole and pyridoxine. The main advantage of this conjugation procedure is its simplicity involving only small volumes of water-miscible organic reagents. The resulting conjugates were purified by dialysis and could be used to elicit antibodies and establish immunoassays.