Preparation of modified peptides: direct conversion of α-amino acids into β-amino aldehydes

A direct method for the transformation of α-amino acids into β-amino aldehydes was developed, and applied to the modification of the C-terminal residue of peptides. The method takes place in good yields and under mild conditions. The application of this methodology to the preparation of small peptides with γ-amino alcohol units, which are precursors of analogues of peptaibol antibiotics, is also described.     

Chirality measures of α-amino acids

To measure molecular chirality, the molecule is treated as a finite set of points in the Euclidean R(3) space supplemented by k properties, p(1)((i)), p(2)((i)), ..., p(k)((i)) assigned to the ith atom, which constitute a point in the Property P(k) space. Chirality measures are described as the distance between a molecule and its mirror image minimized over all its arbitrary orientation-preserving isometries in the R(3) × P(k) Cartesian product space. Following this formalism, different chirality measures can be estimated by taking into consideration different sets of atomic properties. Here, for α-amino acid zwitterionic structures taken from the Cambridge Structural Database and for all 1684 neutral conformers of 19 biogenic α-amino acid molecules, except glycine and cystine, found at the B3LYP/6-31G** level, chirality measures have been calculated by a CHIMEA program written in this project. It is demonstrated that there is a significant correlation between the measures determined for the α-amino acid zwitterions in crystals and the neutral forms in the gas phase. Performance of the studied chirality measures with changes of the basis set and computation method was also checked. An exemplary quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) application of the chirality measures was presented by an introductory model for the benchmark Cramer data set of steroidal ligands of the sex-hormone binding globulin.     

Synthesis and resolution of new paramagnetic α-amino acids

New, paramagnetic unnatural α-amino acids were synthesized by the O'Donnell method. In the new amino acids nitroxide is condensed with thiophene, benzene, and tetrahydroisoquinoline ring, or linked through a methylene, benzyl or propargyl spacer. Some of the racemic paramagnetic α-amino acid esters described earlier or in this work were resolved by fractional crystallization of diastereomeric salts. Another approach for optically active paramagnetic amino acids is the modification of S-tyrosine derivatives with Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with paramagnetic acetylene and with a paramagnetic boronic acid.     

An overview on the synthesis of furanoid and pyranoid sugar α- and β-amino acids and related aminocycloalkanecarboxylic acids from carbohydrates

An overview of the methodologies that have been reported for the synthesis of furanoid and pyranoid sugar α- and β-amino acids and for the synthesis of related polyhydroxylated 1-amino and 2-aminocycloalkanecarboxylic acids from carbohydrates is presented herein.     

Synthesis of novel carboranyl derivatives of α-amino acids

New routes to closo-carboranyl derivatives of L-lysine and L-glutamic acid with free gA-NH2 groups were proposed.     

Enantiopure synthesis of side chain-modified α-amino acids and 5-cis-alkylprolines

A short, concise synthesis of enantiopure, side chain-modified α-amino acids such as 4-oxo-L-norvaline, 6-oxo-L-homonorleucine, and 5-cis-alkyl prolines is described. Knoevenagel condensation of l-aminocarboxylate-derived β-ketoesters with aldehydes followed by reductive decarboxylation results in unnatural α-amino acids in good yield. A fluorescent amino acid is synthesized using a similar protocol. These studies show that aminocarboxylate-derived β-ketoesters are very useful intermediates and the method employed is both general and practical for the preparation of γ(δ)-oxo α-amino acids and alkylprolines.     

Absolute asymmetric synthesis of tertiary α-amino acids

Frozen: the spontaneous crystallization of an achiral compound in a chiral conformation is used as the unique source of chirality in an absolute asymmetric synthesis of tertiary amino acids. The dynamic axial chirality of tertiary aromatic amides is frozen in a crystal and is responsible for the stereoselectivity of the deprotonation/alkylation. α-Amino acid derivatives are synthesized in up to 96 % ee.     

Facile synthesis of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids from the corresponding α-amino acids

An effective and improved procedure is developed for the synthesis of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids by treatment of the corresponding protonated α-amino acid with tert-butyl nitrite in 1,4-dioxane–water. The amino moiety must be protonated and located α to a carboxylic acid function in order to undergo initial diazotization and successive hydroxylation, since neither β-amino acids nor acid derivatives such as esters and amides undergo hydroxylations. The method is successfully applied for the synthesis of 18 proteinogenic amino acids.     

Chiral azo compounds: enantioselective synthesis and transformations into β-amino alcohols and α-amino acids with a quaternary stereocenter

Taking advantage of radical carboaminations producing azo compounds, a new chemo-enzymatic approach to enantiomerically enriched azo alcohols, β-amino alcohols and non-natural (aromatic) amino acids with a quaternary stereocenter is reported.     

Membrane transport of dicarboxylic and α-hydroxy carboxylic acids induced by α-amino phosphonates

New -amino phosphonates containing different alkyl and aryl substituents at the -carbon atom were synthesized in high yields by the Kabachnik—Fields and Pudovik reactions. These compounds were studied as carriers of several -hydroxy carboxylic and dicarboxylic acids through liquid impregnated membranes. These -amino phosphonates studied are capable of molecular recognition of oxalic acid among structurally similar -hydroxy carboxylic and dicarboxylic acids. The efficiency and selectivity of mass transfer of oxalic acid increase with an increase in the lipophilicity of the -amino phosphonate.     

A reasonably stereospecific multistep conversion of Boc-protected α-amino acids to Phth-protected β-amino acids

A method for the synthesis of β³-amino acids starting from α-amino acids is described. This conversion can be effected by an eight-step procedure which involves the transformation of the carboxylic group into an alkyne followed by a selenium-mediated conversion of the carbon-carbon triple bond to a Se-phenyl selenocarboxylate intermediate. The reactive Se-phenyl selenocarboxylate intermediates can be trapped with water, alcohols or the amine of an amino acid derivative to give β³-amino acids, β³-amino esters or mixed peptides, respectively. The whole transformations of the carboxylic group into an alkyne and of the alkyne group into β³-amino acids may not require purification of the intermediate products but a work-up and isolation procedure of crude materials.     

Density and viscosity of α-amino acids in aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

The densities and viscosities of aqueous solution of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (0.01 mol kg⁻¹) (CTAB) and solutions of CTAB containing amino acids, viz., glycine, l-serine, and l-valine (0.01–0.05 mol kg⁻¹), were determined in the temperature range 298.15—313.15 K. Apparent molar volumes of the amino acids were calculated from the density and viscosity values. The calculated apparent molar volumes were used to calculate standard partial molar volumes (-V ₂⁰) and standard partial molar volumes of transfer of amino acids from water to an aqueous solution of CTAB. The viscosity values were used for the calculation of the viscosity coefficients A and B in the Jones—Dole equation. The linear dependences of -V ₂⁰ and B on the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chains of the amino acids were found. The results obtained were used in analysis of hydrophilic-hydrophilic, hydrophilic-hydrophobic, and hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions that occur during dissolution of amino acids in an aqueous solution of CTAB.     

A new general, practical and enantioselective synthesis of α-amino acids

In recent years, considerable efforts have been expended to the development ofenantioselective synthesis of α-amino acids and the use of α-amino acids as chiralbuilding blocks for the synthesis of complex molecules. Numerous unnatural aminoacids which are often the characteristic units of biologically active peptides, have alsobeen discovered. Herein we describe a convenient and general access to natural andunnatural α-amino acids which are based on the use of the chiral building blocks,(S)-1a-e and (R)-1a-e from kinetic resolution of α-furfuryl amines (Scheme 1).