What is a "DNA-Compatible" Reaction?

DNA-encoded synthesis can generate vastly diverse screening libraries of arbitrarily complex molecules as long as chemical reaction conditions do not compromise DNA's informational integrity, a fundamental constraint that "DNA-compatible" reaction development does not presently address. We devised DNA-encoded reaction rehearsal, an integrated analysis of reaction yield and impact on DNA, to acquire these key missing data. Magnetic DNA-functionalized sensor beads quantitatively report the % DNA template molecules remaining viable for PCR amplification after exposure to test reaction conditions. Analysis of solid-phase bond forming (e.g., Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, reductive amination) and deprotection reactions (e.g., allyl esters, silyl ethers) guided the definition and optimization of DNA-compatible reaction conditions (>90% yield, >30% viable DNA molecules), most notably in cases that involved known (H(+), Pd) and more obscure (Δ, DMF) hazards to DNA integrity. The data provide an empirical yet mechanistically consistent and predictive framework for designing successful DNA-encoded reaction sequences for combinatorial library synthesis.