Animals such as spiders make fibers which are strong and elastic. These fibers have a polypeptide structure and serve as inspiration for research into the development of functional materials. Alpha-amino acid N-Carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) are precursors for artificial polypeptides, however they are difficult to produce. Using the photo-on-demand method that they previously developed, a research group has synthesized NCA in a safe, inexpensive and simple manner from chloroform and amino acid.