Intermolecular/interionic interactions in l-isoleucine-, l-proline-, and l-glutamine-aqueous electrolyte systems

Speed of sound and density values for ternary systems (amino acid + salt + water): l-isoleucine/l-proline/l-glutamine in aqueous solutions of 1.5 M KCl, 1 M KNO₃, and 0.5 M K₂SO₄ have been measured for several concentrations of amino acids at different temperatures (303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15, and 323.15 K). Using speed of sound and density data, the thermodynamic parameters such as isentropic compressibility (κ_s), change in isentropic compressibility (Δκ_s) and relative change (Δκ_s/κ₀) in isentropic compressibility have been computed. The isentropic compressibility values decrease with increase in the amino acid concentration as well as with temperature. The decrease in κ_s values with increase in concentration of l-isoleucine/l-proline/l-glutamine in 1.5 M KCl, 1 M KNO₃, and 0.5 M K₂SO₄ has been ascribed to an increase in the number of incompressible zwitterions in solutions, and the formation of ‘zwitterions-ions’ and ‘zwitterions-water dipole’ entities in solutions. The decrease in κ_s values with increase in temperature has been attributed to the corresponding decrease of κ_relax (a relaxational part of compressibility), which is dominant over the corresponding increase of κ_∞ (an instantaneous part of compressibility). The trends of variation of Δκ_s and Δκ_s/κ₀ with variations in solute concentration and temperature have also been discussed in terms of solute-solute and solute-solvent intermolecular/interionic interactions operative in the systems.     

A new and short synthesis of naturally occurring 1-deoxy-l-gulonojirimycin from tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal

A new and short synthesis of naturally occurring 1-deoxy-l-gulonojirimycin from tri-O-benzyl-d-glucal, via a regioselective intramolecular cyclization of an amino triol intermediate, is described. Its absolute configuration was deduced from the single crystal X-ray analysis of compound 11.     

A new efficient and practical synthesis of 2-deoxy-l-ribose

An efficient and practical route for large-scale synthesis of 2-deoxy-l-ribose starting from l-ascorbic acid was developed in eight steps without chromatographic purification for all intermediates. Additionally, (2S,3R)-3,4-epoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidenebutane-1,2-diol, a versatile intermediate in carbohydrate synthesis, was also prepared readily in excellent yield as a key intermediate.     

Influence of the nature of the ligand on the microstructure of poly d,l-lactides prepared with organoaluminum initiators

The polymerization of d,l-lactide with organoaluminum initiators bearing two different ligands, acetylacetone (1) and achiral Schiff’s base (2), has been studied. The microstructure of the obtained polymers analyzed by high resolution ¹³C NMR (125 MHz) is strongly influenced by the nature of the ligand. Al(acac)₃ (1) leads to stereocopolymers having random repartition of configurational units while polylactides prepared with aluminum methoxide derivatives bearing as ligand Schiff’s base (2) present some degree of stereoregularity with preferential formation of isotactic sequences.Variation of the ligand linked to the initiator appears as one of the best tools for the moulding of the microstructure of obtained polylactides.     

A chemo-enzymatic cascade for the one-pot synthesis of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose

A chemo-enzymatic cascade for the one-pot preparation of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose (DX) from stable, cheap, and easily available starting material R-glycidol is reported. The epoxide ring of R-glycidol was opened with phosphate to generate l-glycerol 3-phosphate, which was subsequently converted into the target molecules by combination of multi-enzymatic reactions in the same flask with purified overall yields of 27.6% (DXP) and 33% (DX), respectively. This approach represents the first one-pot chemo-enzymatic synthesis of these two biologically important compounds.     

Synthesis of l-aminohomohistidine (l-Ahh)

A short synthesis of l-aminohomohistidine (l-Ahh), which starts from readily available δ-hydroxy-l-lysine is described. The embedding of the basic guanidino moiety in the aromatic imidazole lowers the basicity of the side chain to a pK_a of 8.3. It is proposed that l-Ahh may be employed as an arginine-mimetic in medicinal chemistry.     

An efficient synthesis of d-ribo-C18-phytosphingosine and l-arabino-C18-phytosphingosine from d-fructose

d-ribo-C₁₈-phytosphingosine and l-arabino-C₁₈-phytosphingosine were synthesised starting from commercially inexpensive d-fructose. Metal-mediated fragmentation and stereoselective reduction were used as key steps to provide the hydrophilic portion of d-ribo and l-arabino phytosphingosines. Grubbs’ cross-metathesis and hydrogenation allowed the incorporation of hydrophobic tail.     

Racemization behavior of l,l-lactide during heating

To control the depolymerization process of poly(l-lactic acid) into l,l-lactide for feedstock recycling, the racemization of l,l-lactide as a post-depolymerization reaction was investigated. In the absence of a catalyst, the conversion to meso-lactide increased with increase in the heating temperature and time at a higher rate than the conversion into oligomers. The resulting high composition of meso-lactide suggests that the direct racemization of l,l-lactide had occurred in addition to the known racemization mechanism that occurs on the oligomer chains. In the presence of MgO, the oligomerization rapidly proceeded to reach an equilibrium state between monomers and oligomers. The equilibrium among l,l-, meso-, and d,d-lactides was found to be a convergent composition ratio l,l-:meso-:d,d-lactides = 1:1.22:0.99 (wt/wt/wt) after 120 min at 300 °C. This composition ratio also indicates that in addition to the known racemization reaction on the oligomer chains, direct racemization among the lactides is also a frequent occurrence.     

Phase behavior of biodegradable amphiphilic poly(l,l-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l,l-lactide)

This study describes the miscibility phase behavior in two series of biodegradable triblock copolymers, poly(l-lactide)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(l-lactide) (PLLA-PEG-PLLA), prepared from two di-hydroxy-terminated PEG prepolymers (M_n = 4000 or 600 g mol⁻¹) with different lengths of poly(l-lactide) segments (polymerization degree, DP = 1.2-145.6). The prepared block copolymers presented wide range of molecular weights (800-25,000 g mol⁻¹) and compositions (16-80 wt.% of PEG). The copolymer multiphases coexistance and interaction were evaluated by DSC and TGA. The copolymers presented a dual stage thermal degradation and decreased thermal stability compared to PEG homopolymers. In addition, DSC analyses allowed the observation of multiphase separation; the melting temperature, T_m, of PLLA and PEG phases depended on the relative segment lengths and the only observed glass transition temperature (T_g) in copolymers indicated miscibility in the amorphous phase.     

Intermolecular/interionic interactions in l-leucine-, l-asparagine-, and glycylglycine-aqueous electrolyte systems

Ultrasonic velocity and density values have been measured for ternary systems (amino acid/di-peptide + salt + water): l-leucine/l-asparagine/glycylglycine each in 1.5 M aqueous solutions of NaCl or NaNO₃ or KNO₃ used as solvents for several concentrations of amino acids/di-peptide at different temperatures in the range of 298.15-323.15 K. The ultrasonic velocity values have been found to increase with increase in amino acids/di-peptide concentration and temperature in all the systems. The increase in ultrasonic velocity with increase in concentration has been discussed in terms of electrostatic interactions occurring between terminal groups of zwitterions (NH₄⁺ and COO⁻) and Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ ions. The interactions of water dipoles with cations/anions and with zwitterions have also been taken into consideration. It has been observed that the ion-zwitterion and ion-dipole attractive forces are stronger than those of ion-hydrophobic repulsive forces. These interactions comprehensively introduce the cohesion into solutions under investigation. The cohesive forces are further enhanced on successive increases in solute concentration. Using ultrasonic velocity and density data, the parameters such as isentropic compressibility (κ_s), change (Δκ_s) and relative change (Δκ_s/κ₀) in isentropic compressibility, specific acoustic impedance (Z) and relative association (RA) have been computed. The isentropic compressibility values decrease with increase in the concentration of solutes as well as with temperature. The decrease in κ_s values with increase in concentration of l-leucine, l-asparagine and glycylglycine in 1.5 M aqueous solutions of NaCl, NaNO₃ and KNO₃ have been explained in terms of an increase in the number of incompressible molecules/zwitterions in solutions and the formation of compact zwitterions-water dipole and zwitterions-ions structures in solutions. The decrease in κ_s values with increase in temperature has been attributed to the corresponding decrease of κ_relax. (relaxational part of compressibility)_, which is dominant over the corresponding increase of κ_∞ (instantaneous part of compressibility). The trends of variations of Δκ_s, Δκ_s/κ₀, Z and RA with change of concentration and temperature have also been interpreted in terms of various intermolecular/interionic interactions existing in the systems.     

Synthesis of a fluoroalkene peptidomimetic precursor of N-acetyl-l-glutamyl-l-alanine

Fluoroolefin peptidomimetics of the dipeptide N-acetyl-Glu-Ala were synthesized via an Evans asymmetric aldol reaction and an Overman rearrangement. This dipeptide is the N-terminal of an octapeptide implicated in the signal transduction via PKCε.     

Efficient synthesis from d-lyxonolactone of 2-acetamido-1,4-imino-1,2,4-trideoxy-l-arabinitol LABNAc, a potent pyrrolidine inhibitor of hexosaminidases

The synthesis from d-lyxonolactone of 2-acetamido-1,4-imino-1,2,4-trideoxy-l-arabinitol LABNAc proceeded in an overall yield of 25%; the enantiomer, 2-acetamido-1,4-imino-1,2,4-trideoxy-d-arabinitol DABNAc, was prepared from l-lyxonolactone. LABNAc and N-benzyl LABNAc are potent non-competitive inhibitors of d-hexosaminidase, whereas N-benzyl DABNAc exhibits weak competitive inhibition of the enzyme; this provides further evidence in support of Asano’s hypothesis that while d-imino sugar mimics inhibit d-glycohydrolases competitively, their l-enantiomers show non-competitive inhibition and in the case of iminofuranoses l-enantiomers are usually more potent inhibitors.     

Practical synthesis of d-[1-C]mannose, l-[1-C] and l-[6-C]fucose

The chemical synthesis of ¹³C-labeled mannose and fucose is important for the preparation of molecular probes used in the conformational study of the oligosaccharide portions of glycoproteins. A new method for the synthesis of the title [1-¹³C]-labeled compounds via the corresponding olefin compounds, which are in turn derived from d-mannitol or l-arabinose by efficient introduction of ¹³C, by the Wittig reaction using Ph₃P¹³CH₃I and n-BuLi, is described. The introduction of ¹³CH₃I to produce the [1-¹³C]- and [6-¹³C]-labeled compounds was accomplished in 62%, 56%, and 71% yields, respectively. All mannose and fucose protons, from H-1 to H-6, were observed by the HMQC-TOCSY technique using 1:1 mixtures of [1-¹³C]- and [6-¹³C]-labeled compounds.     

One-pot synthesis of N-Cbz-l-BMAA and derivatives from N-Cbz-l-serine

We report herein an asymmetric synthesis of the modified amino acid N-Cbz-l-BMAA and seven of its alkyl derivatives (2a-h) from N-Cbz-l-serine via ring-opening of the β-lactone (formed under modified Mitsunobu conditions) by different amines. This procedure is simple, one-pot and can generate various derivatives that can be investigated for their toxicological effects. In addition, it can be employed to produce analytical standards for water monitoring as well as labeled compounds for biotransformation studies. This toxin has been the focus of serious ecological and public concern since its implication in degenerative disease such as Alzheimer and Parkinsonism dementia.     

Synthesis of l,l-puromycin

l,l-Puromycin, a diastereomer of the natural peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic puromycin, has been synthesized from l-xylose in 13 steps.     

Density functional theory calculations and experimental parameters for mutarotation of 6-deoxy-l-mannopyranosyl hydrazine

The geometry and energy profiles of the mutarotation pathway present in the equilibrium of 6-deoxy-β-l-mannopyranosyl 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (1a), 6-deoxy-l-mannose 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (1b), and 6-deoxy-α-l-mannopyranosyl 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (1c) were modeled by DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level affording ΔG_DFT=0.000 kcal/mol, ΔG_DFT=0.174 kcal/mol, and ΔG_DFT=3.411 kcal/mol, respectively. Experimentally, the β-l-pyranose 1a occurs in 50% followed by the acyclic structure 1b in 44% as well as by the α-l-anomer 1c in 6%. The conformations of 1a-c and their corresponding 2,3,4-triacetyl derivatives 2a-c were studied by molecular modeling and NMR spectroscopy. IR frequencies, NMR chemical shifts, and X-ray diffraction analysis were employed to compare theoretical with experimental structural parameters.     

Stereoselective synthesis of l-isonucleosides

l-Isonucleosides 17 and 19 were stereoselectively synthesised from (S)-glycidol by two different procedures. The key step was the synthesis of a chiral dihydrofuran which was carried out by oxidation/elimination of 8 and by ring-closing metathesis of diene 10. The procedure can be applied to the synthesis of both enantiomers.     

Immobilization of bromelain onto porous copoly(γ-methyl-l-glutamate/l-leucine) beads

Water-insoluble bromelain was prepared by immobilizing bromelain onto the surface of porous copoly(γ-methyl-l-glutamate/l-leucine) (ML) beads with and without spacer. The mode of the immobilization between bromelain and porous copolypeptide ML beads was covalent fixation. The relative activity and the stability of the immobilized bromelain was investigated. The retained activity of the bromelain covalently immobilized by the azide method was found to be excellent toward a small ester substrate, N-benzyl-l-arginine ethyl ester, but rather low toward casein, a high molecular weight substrate. The values of the Michaelis constant K_m and the maximum reaction velocity V_m for free and immobilized bromelain on the porous copolypeptide ML beads were estimated. Apparent K_m was larger for immobilized bromelain than for the free one, while V_m was smaller for the immobilized bromelain. The thermal stability of the covalently immobilized bromelain was higher than that of the free bromelain. The initial enzymatic activity of the immobilized bromelain remained approximately unchanged with storage time, when the batch enzyme reaction was performed repeatedly, indicating the excellent durability.     

Poly l-lactide-layered double hydroxide nanocomposites via in situ polymerization of l-lactide

The use of clay nanofillers offers a potential route to improved barrier properties in polylactide films. Magnesium-aluminium layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are interesting in this respect and we therefore explored synthesis of PLA-LDH nanocomposites by ring-opening polymerization. This method is attractive because it should ensure good dispersion of LDH in the polymer. The effect of adding either LDH carbonate (LDH-CO₃) or laurate-modified LDH (LDH-C₁₂) was investigated. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that exfoliated nanocomposites were obtained when using LDH-C₁₂ but that LDH-CO₃ gave a partly phase-separated morphology. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that PLA-LDH combinations exhibited higher degradation onset temperatures and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed that LDHs can act as nucleating agents. However, PLA molecular weight was significantly reduced when in-situ polymerization was conducted in the presence of the LDHs and we suggest that chain termination via LDH surface hydroxyl groups and/or metal-catalyzed degradation could be responsible.     

Synthesis of d-gluco-, l-ido-, d-galacto-, and l-altro-configured glycaro-1,5-lactams from tartaric acid

The d-gluco-, l-ido-, d-galacto-, and l-altro-configured glycaro-1,5-lactams 1-4 were prepared from the known tartaric anhydride 5 via the aldehyde 6. These lactams are known (1) or potential (2-4) inhibitors of β-d-glucuronidases and α-l-iduronidases. Olefination of 6 to the (E)- and (Z)-alkenes 7 or 8, followed by reagent or substrate controlled dihydroxylation, lactonization, azidation, reduction, and deprotection led in 10 steps and in overall yields of 11-20% to the title lactams.