The present invention provides, as a method of analyzing the C-terminal
amino acid sequence of a peptide with use of reaction technique for
successively releasing the C-terminal amino acids, in which undesirable
side reactions, such as cleavage of a peptide bond at the middle of the
peptide, can be prevented and chemical treatments therein can be carried
out under widely applicable conditions in the course of successive
release of the C-terminal amino acids from a peptide, such a method
comprising steps of dehydrating the gel on which a target peptide that
has been separated by gel electrophoresis is held in the bound state;
immersing it in a mixture solution of an alkanoic acid anhydride added
with a small amount of a perfluoroalkanoic acid in a dipolar aprotic
solvent to re-swell the gel carrier, forming a 5-oxazolone structure, at
a temperature chosen in the range of from 30.degree. C. to 80.degree. C.,
followed by the cleavage of the 5-oxazolone ring to release the
C-terminal amino acids, and then specifying the C-terminal amino acid
sequence of the peptide based on the measured decrease in the molecular
weight of a series of reaction products resulting therefrom.