The progress of total chemical protein synthesis has been hampered by difficulties in preparing peptide thioesters by standard Fmoc peptide synthesis. The amino acid, alpha-methylcysteine, sited at the C-terminus of a peptide can substitute for a thioester in peptide ligation reactions. C-terminal alpha-methylcysteine is fully compatible with Fmoc peptide synthesis and its use in ligation is very simple and robust. Its potential is demonstrated with the synthesis of model proteins.