Summary 'Push-pull'-acetylenes 1 are excellent reagents for peptide synthesis: Addition of 'push-pull'-acetylenes to solutions of N-protected amino acids (or vice versa) gives enol esters 5, which react selectively with the amino function of a second amino acid. In this way serine, tyrosine, 4-hydroxyproline, cysteine as well as histidine are linked to form dipeptide esters without protection of the second functional group (OH, SH or NH). The amount of ...