Synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids using fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines

The development of a new fluorous-tagged ammonia-equivalent for the synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids is described. The required building blocks were readily accessed in high yield and purity using F-SPE purification technique. Coupling of the fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines with a selection of boronic acids and glyoxalic acid gave the desired N-alkylated amino acids. Subsequent removal of the fluorous tag via catalytic hydrogenation was investigated using a number of different catalysts and solvents. A more robust de-tagging procedure involves the transformation of the amino acid to the corresponding methyl ester followed by a Mo(CH₃CN)₃(CO)₃ mediated N-O bond cleavage.     

Synthesis of new steroidal derivatives by the reaction of steroid-amino acid conjugates with N,N′-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide. Unusual formation of steroidal imide derivatives

Several new steroid derivatives have been synthesised by the reaction of steroid-amino acid conjugates with N,N′-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide. Selectivity of the reaction was found to depend greatly on the properties of the amino acid moiety. While the reaction of the glycine derivative led to the corresponding 5(4H)-oxazolone, an unusual imide formation together with an N-acylurea side product was observed in the case of conjugates of l-alanine, l-phenylalanine and l-methionine. The structures of the new products, steroidal imide and N-acylurea derivatives, were determined by various spectroscopic methods.     

Coelectroosmotic capillary electrophoresis of phenolic acids and derivatized amino acids using N,N-dimethylacrylamide-ethylpyrrolidine methacrylate physically coated capillaries

Two different families of compounds, i.e., phenolic and amino acids have been separated by capillary electrophoresis using a physically adsorbed polymer as capillary coating. The polymer used was N,N-dimethylacrylamide-ethylpyrrolidine methacrylate (DMA-EpyM) and it provided an stable coating by only flushing the capillary with a DMA-EpyM aqueous solution for 2 min between runs. The usefulness of this procedure has been demonstrated through the fast analysis of different families of solutes. Two different detection systems, diode-array detector and laser-induced fluorescence, have been used to determine phenolic acids and derivatized amino acids with fluorescein isothiocyanate, respectively. The main factors affecting reversal of electroosmotic flow (EOF) such as pH, type and concentration of buffer, and concentration and influence of organic solvents, as well as all the instrumental conditions were studied and optimized for both families of compounds.     

Chemo-, regio- and stereospecific addition of amino acids to acylacetylenes: a facile synthesis of new N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids

The one-pot reaction of natural amino acids (glycine, β-alanine, γ-aminobutyric and ?-aminocapronic acids, d,l-valine, d,l-leucine, anthranilic acid) with bielectrophilic acylacetylenes proceeds chemo-, regio- and stereospecifically in the presence of NaOH (45-50 °C, 4 h, EtOH-H₂O) to give (after treatment of the reaction mixture with aqueous HCl) Z-isomers of N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids in 87-94% yield.     

Guanidine hydrochloride as an organocatalyst for N-Boc protection of amino groups

A simple and efficient method for the chemoselective N-Boc protection of the amine moiety in a variety of compounds is described using di-tert-butyl dicarbonate and guanidine hydrochloride as an organocatalyst in ethanol at 35-40 °C. Selective mono-N-Boc protection of diamines and chemoselective protection of hydroxylamines without formation of any side products is achieved. Amino acids and peptides are N-Boc protected efficiently in excellent yields under convenient reaction conditions.     

A new approach to β-amino acids: biotransformation of N-protected β-amino nitriles

A number of novel N-protected β-amino nitriles were prepared as substrates for two nitrile-converting microorganisms, Rhodococcus sp. R312 and Rhodococcus erythropolis NCIMB 11540. The respective biotransformation products, β-amino acids, are known to be pharmacological very potent compounds.     

Aqueous phase mono-protection of amines and amino acids as N-benzyloxycarbonyl derivatives in the presence of β-cyclodextrin

A simple and selective protection of amines/amino acids with Cbz-Cl has been achieved in aqueous phase with catalytic amounts of β-cyclodextrin in high yields at room temperature. This reaction proceeds without the formation of any by-products and has advantages over existing methods.     

Synthesis of N,N-dimethyl-2,4-dinitro-5-fluorobenzylamine and its reactions with amino acids and peptides

A practical synthesis is described for N,N-dimethyl-2,4-dinitro-5-fluorobenzylamine (DMDNFB) and its -d₆ analog as an alternative Sanger's reagent (DNFB), for purposes of amino acid derivatization detectable by positive mode electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. DMDNFB is comparable to DNFB in its efficiency to derivatize amino acids and peptides. Various DMDNP (d₀/d₆) derivatives of (modified) lysine were synthesized to evaluate the potential use of isotope-edited LC-ESI-MS as a tool for structural definition of the posttranslational modification of protein-based lysines.     

Evidence for strong heterodimeric interactions of phenylboronic acids with amino acids

Strong heterodimeric interactions of phenylboronic acids with l-proline or betaine are evident in the solid state. The interaction energy is over 23 kcal/mol (at MP2/6-31+G^∗).     

N-Dmc protected amino acid aglycones: versatile hydrogenolysis stable acceptors for O-glycosylation

N^α-(4,4-Dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidenemethylene) (Dmc) protected l-serine, l-threonine and l-homoserine have been prepared as tert-butyl esters in excellent yields. These hydrogenolysis stable acceptors underwent efficient α-O-glycosylation with an l-fucopyranosyl bromide donor and also allowed convenient protecting group manipulations to ultimately deliver novel glycoamino acid building blocks suitable for Fmoc based solid-phase glycopeptide synthesis.     

Synthesis and characterization of uranium (IV) complexes with various amino acids

Complexes of uranium in its IV oxidation state, using cysteine, glycine, serine and aspartic acid as ligands, have been synthesized. Semi-microanalysis of the complexes indicate 1:1 metal to ligand ratio for all the synthesized complexes. Infrared spectra of solid complexes have been employed to establish the groups, coordinated to the metal ion. Effective magnetic moment of the complexes were also estimated.     

Low frequency vibrational spectra of some amino acids

Far-IR absorption and reflection spectra, as well as laser Mandelshtam–Brillouin and Raman scattering spectra of -glycine, β-alanine, -histidine, -tryptophane single crystals in the 0.2–400 cm⁻¹ range were investigated. It was revealed that the far-IR and Raman spectra of the amino acids under study contain more bands than predicted by factor-group analysis, thus indicating a possible contribution of low-energy intramolecular vibrations and overtones, as well as an emergence of forbidden vibrations. Some of the low-frequency bands have never, to our knowledge, been detected previously.     

Chemical modification of usnic acid 2. Reactions of (+)-usnic acid with amino acids

The condensation of amino acids with (+)-usnic acid involves the 2-positioned acetyl group of the latter and gives derivatives containing an enamine fragment. Dedicated to the memory of Academician N. N. Vorozhtsov on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1203–1205, June, 2007.     

Micellar-mediated shifts of ionization constants of amino acids and peptides

The acid-base dissociation constants, K_a, of amino acids and small peptides were determined in both aqueous and micellar solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide by potentiometric and chromatographic means. The observed differences in pK_a values between micellar media and aqueous solutions ranged between 0.23 and 2.21 units. The micellar-mediated pK_a shifts can be attributed to different solute-micelle interactions, mainly hydrophobic and electrostatic forces. The implications of the change in acid-base behavior on separation selectivity in micellar liquid chromatography and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography are discussed.     

Microwave-accelerated cross-metathesis reactions of N-allyl amino acid substrates

Microwave heating has been utilised for the cross-metathesis reaction of N-allyl amino acid substrates to generate olefin homodimers. Remarkable acceleration of the cross-metathesis reaction (minutes compared to hours) over conventional reflux heating was observed. In addition, improved reaction yields and similar E/Z ratios for the cross-metathesis products were achieved.     

Interaction of dipropyltin(IV) with amino acids,peptides, dicarboxylic acids and DNA constituents

Interaction of dipropyltin(IV) with selected amino acids, peptides, dicarboxylic acids or DNA constituents was investigated using potentiometric techniques. Amino acids form 1?:?1 and 1?:?2 complexes and, in some cases, protonated complexes. The amino acid is bound to dipropyltin(IV) by the amino and carboxylate groups. Serine is complexed to dipropyltin(IV) with ionization of the alcoholic group. A relationship exists between the acid dissociation constant of the amino acids and the formation constants of the corresponding complexes. Dicarboxylic acids form both 1?:?1 and 1?:?2 complexes. Diacids forming five- and six-membered chelate rings are the most stable. Peptides form complexes with stoichiometric coefficients 111(MLH), 110(ML) and 11-1(MLH_?1)(tin: peptide: H⁺). The mode of coordination is discussed based on existing data and previous investigations. DNA constituents inosine, adenosine, uracil, uridine, and thymine form 1?:?1 and 1?:?2 complexes and the binding sites are assigned. Inosine 5′-monophosphate, guanosine 5′-monophosphate, adenosine 5′-monophosphate and adenine form protonated species in addition to 1?:?1 and 1?:?2 complexes. The protonation sites and tin-binding sites were elucidated. Cytosine and cytidine do not form complexes with dipropyltin(IV) due to low basicity of the donor sites. The stepwise formation constants of the complexes formed in solution were calculated using the non-linear least-square program MINIQUAD-75. The concentration distribution of the various complex species was evaluated as a function of pH.     

Differential-pulse polarography of amino acids in acetaldehyde-borax medium

A differential-pulse polarographic method for the determination of amino acids is reported, based on the formation of Schiff's base compounds in borax buffer solution (pH 10.10) containing acetaldehyde. The compounds are reduced at a mercury electrode with peak potentials of about ?1.5 V (vs. SCE) and well defined polarographic waves are obtained which can be used to determine amino acids in borax medium. The differential-pulse polarographic method was found to be the most sensitive and suitable for the determination of amino acids in the concentration range 1 × 10^?6–8 × 10^?4 M (lysine) and 2.8 × 10^?6–1 × 10^?3 M (arginine). The polarographic characteristics of these waves were studied by differential-pulse polarographic and cyclic voltammetric methods. The waves are ascribed to the reduction of the imido group in the Schiff's base compounds. The procedure was applied to the determination of lysine and arginine in foodstuffs and the total proteins in serum samples.     

Li@C60 complexes with amino acids: A theoretical analysis

In this work, we explore the ability of the Li@C₆₀ fullerene to interact with amino acids at the DFT-BLYP/DND level of theory. The calculations suggest that the most favorable interactions of the fullerene is with arginine, leucine, and tryptophan which is related to the backbone structure of the corresponding amino acids. We propose correlations of the dissociation energies, HOMO/LUMO band gaps in relation to the computed quantum chemical behavior.     

Phosphine-mediated annulation of N-protected imines with DEAD

In the presence of triphenylphosphine, the reactions of N-protected imines or their precursors with DEAD proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding functionalized 1H-1,2,4-triazole-1,4(5H)-dicarboxylate derivatives in good to high yields under mild conditions. A plausible mechanism has been proposed on the basis of the control experiments.