Quantitative determination of oxocarboxylic and hydroxycarboxylic acids in normal individuals and ketoacidotic patients

Oxo- and hydroxycarboxylic acids as metabolites of valine, leucine, and isoleucine and of ketogenesis are simultaneously quantitated in the form of their methyl esters and methyl esters/O-methyloximes by gas chromatography using internal and external standards. Normal values for the urinary excretions of the amino acid metabolites are between 3 ± 2 μmol/24 h (mean value ± standard deviation) for 2-oxoisocaproic acid and 122 ± 58 μmol/24 h for 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid. In diabetic ketoacidosis the values are increased by a factor of 2-10.     

Analysis of volatile fatty acids by gas chromatography separation of benzyl esters

Volatile fatty acids in aqueous media were esterfied in situ with phenyldiazomethane (PDM). Complete esterification was achieved in 3 h at 40°C under continuous stirring of an ether/water system. The process involved immediate transfer of benzyl esters into the organic phase. The separation of benzyl esters mixtures was carried out in glass capillary GC columns. The retention data and FID molar responses were determined for C1 to C6 acid benzyl esters, including 2-methylpropionic, 3-methylbutyric, 2-methylvaleric, and 2-ethylbutyric acid. An unusual relationship was observed between benzyl ester relative molar responses and carbon atom number.     

Synthesis of methyl -substituted 4-amino methyl-4-butanolides and 5 -hydroxy-2-piperidones

Esters of 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3-methylvaleric acids, which exist as pairs of diastereomers and are readily converted to the corresponding methyl-substituted 4-aminomethyl-4-butanolides or 5-hydroxy-2-piperidones, are obtained by reaction of esters of 3-methyl-4, 5-epoxy-2-pentenoic acid with amines and subsequent hydrogenation of the resulting esters of 5-amino-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-pentenoic acids.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 594–598, May, 1975.     

Gas-liquid chromatographic analyses : IV. Glass capillary gas chromatography of methyl and chloromethyl monochloro esters of aliphatic C5-carboxylic acids

The gas chromatography of methyl and chloromethyl esters of pivalic, 2-methylbutyric, isovaleric and valeric acid and certain of their monochloro derivatives was studied. Separation of the combined mixtures of methyl and chloromethyl esters was better on Carbowax 20M than on SE-30. The retention times of esters with subtituents adjacent (i.e. at C-2) to the carboxyl group appear to be sensitive to column polarity, particularly in the case of the chloromethyl esters. The retention order and relative retention times of compounds are discussed.     

Isolation and purification of lithocholic acid metabolites produced by the intestinal microflora.

Lithocholic acid metabolites produced by the intestinal microflora of rats can be isolated from other endogenous lipids using Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Analyses of individual metabolites collected from the column by silica gel coated glass fiber paper chromatography result in the resolution of epimeric 3-hydroxy derivatives. In addition, glass fiber paper chromatography is more sensitive and requires less development time than conventional glass-coated thin-layer plates. Further confirmation of the identity of metabolites is achieved by gas-liquid chromatography, which separates both methyl and ethyl esters of lithocholic and isolithocholic acids.     

Preparative method of obtaining L- and D-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acids

Summary A preparative method was developed for obtaining L-and D-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acids by the separation of racemic 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid with the aid of D-and L-threo-2-amino-1-p-nitrophenyl-1,3-propanediols.     

A comparative study of the reactions of thiophene-2-carboxanilides and related compounds

Thiophene-2-carboxanilide and itsp-chloro andp-bromo derivatives react with chlorosulfonic acid to give the corresponding sulfonyl chlorides, which react with amino acids to give the respective derivatives. Several methyl esters of the latter were prepared. Hydrazinolysis of these methyl esters yielded the hydrazides. Coupling reactions of some sulfonylamino acids with amino acid methyl ester hydrochlorides in THF-Et₃N medium using the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide method give the corresponding dipeptide methyl esters. The spectral data of the compounds are briefly discussed.Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt. Published in Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 921–926, July, 1998.     

The mass spectra of N-adamantoylpeptides

The N-adamantoyl derivatives of the esters of twenty-one di-peptides and eight tri-peptides containing the amino acids glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, lysine, histidine, serine, threonine, methionine, S-benzylcysteine and tyrosine were prepared and their mass spectra determined. The spectra of all compounds were suitable for amino acid sequence determination. Mixtures containing N-adamantoyl dipeptide and tripeptide methyl esters were separated by thin-layer chromatography and the components identified by high resolution mass spectrometry. The mass spectrometric features of N-adamantoyl peptide esters are discussed and compared with those of other N-acyl peptide derivatives.     

Oxathiaphospholane approach to N- and O-phosphorothioylation of amino acids

A method of highly efficient synthesis of N- and O-phosphorothioylated amino acids was developed. N- and O-(2-Thiono-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanyl)amino acid methyl esters (3) were prepared in high yields in reaction of amino acid methyl esters with 2-chloro-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane in pyridine in the presence of elemental sulfur. Compounds 3 were converted in high yield into the corresponding methyl or benzyl phosphorothioamides 6 and 7 by DBU-assisted treatment with methanol or benzyl alcohol. When 3-hydroxypropionitrile was used instead of methanol or benzyl alcohol, the corresponding 2-cyanoethylphosphorothioamidates 4 were obtained in high yield, from which the 2-cyanoethyl group was removed with concentrated ammonium hydroxide. The oxathiaphospholane methodology was also applied for the phosphorylation of amino acids. Thus, 2-oxo-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane derivatives 10 were prepared by oxidation of compounds 3 with SeO(2.) Compounds 10 were transformed into the corresponding phosphate diesters or amidoesters upon treatment with 3-hydroxypropionitrile in the presence of DBU. The DBU-assisted oxathiaphospholane ring-opening process in 3 and 10 did not cause any measurable C-racemization of phosphorothioylated/phosphorylated amino acids.     

A highly enantioselective chiral Schiff-base fluorescent sensor for mandelic acid

A chiral Schiff-base compound, 4-methyl-2,6-bis-[(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethylimino)methyl]phenol, is found to act as highly enantioselective fluorescent agent for α-hydroxycarboxylic acid, e.g., mandelic acid. It is observed that, within a certain concentration range, one enantiomer of the chiral acid can increase the fluorescence intensity of the Schiff-base compound 122-fold while the other enantiomer enhances the intensity only 42-fold. Such highly enantioselective responses towards the chiral acid make the unusual Schiff-base compound attractive as a fluorescent sensor for determining the enantiomeric composition of α-hydroxycarboxylic acids.     

Characterization of organosulfates from the photooxidation of isoprene and unsaturated fatty acids in ambient aerosol using liquid chromatography/(-) electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In the present study, we have characterized in detail the MS(2) and MS(3) fragmentation behaviors, using electrospray ionization (ESI) in the negative ion mode, of previously identified sulfated isoprene secondary organic aerosol compounds, including 2-methyltetrols, 2-methylglyceric acid, 2-methyltetrol mononitrate derivatives, glyoxal and methylglyoxal. A major fragmentation pathway for the deprotonated molecules of the sulfate esters of 2-methyltetrols and 2-methylglyceric acid and of the sulfate derivatives of glyoxal and methylglyoxal is the formation of the bisulfate [HSO(4)](-) anion, while the deprotonated sulfate esters of 2-methyltetrol mononitrate derivatives preferentially fragment through loss of nitric acid. Rational interpretation of MS(2), MS(3) and accurate mass data led to the structural characterization of unknown polar compounds in K-puszta fine aerosol as organosulfate derivatives of photooxidation products of unsaturated fatty acids, i.e. 2-hydroxy-1,4-butanedialdehyde, 4,5- and 2,3-dihydroxypentanoic acids, and 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, and of alpha-pinene, i.e. 3-hydroxyglutaric acid. The deprotonated molecules of the sulfated hydroxyacids, 2-methylglyceric acid, 4,5- and 2,3-dihydroxypentanoic acid, and 2- and 3-hydroxyglutaric acids, showed in addition to the [HSO(4)](-) ion (m/z 97) neutral losses of water, CO(2) and/or SO(3), features that are characteristic of humic-like substances. The polar organosulfates characterized in the present work are of climatic relevance because they may contribute to the hydrophilic properties of fine ambient aerosol. In addition, these compounds probably serve as ambient tracer compounds for the occurrence of secondary organic aerosol formation under acidic conditions.     

N-Methylation and N,N-dimethylation of amino acids. An artifact production in the analysis of organic acids using diazomethane as derivatizing agent

In the fractions of the methyl esters of urinary organic acids seventeen N-methylated or N,N-dimethylated amino acid methyl esters are identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It is shown for twelve amino acids that their amino group reacts with diazomethane to form these derivatives. Using deuterated reagents, in particular deuterated diazomethane, in the sample preparation procedure during the organic acid analysis, it is shown that the N-methylated and N,N-dimethylated amino acids are artifacts from diazomethane and are not biochemical N-methylation products.     

Use of Cycloalkylcarbonyl Derivatives for the Determination of Amino Acid Methyl Esters by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Cycloalkylcarbonyl (cycloalkyl = cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl) derivatives were proposed for the determination of amino acid methyl esters by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. These compounds are readily formed with the quantitative yield on heating hydrochlorides of amino acid methyl esters with cycloalkylcarbonyl chlorides. Although these derivatives exhibit lower chromatographic mobility than acetyl or perfluoroacyl derivatives, they form symmetric peaks. Mechanisms of the fragmentation of the new class of compounds under electron ionization conditions were studied in detail using high-resolution mass spectra and analysis of metastable ions. It was demonstrated that cyclopentylcarbonyl and cyclohexylcarbonyl derivatives can decompose with the cleavage of carbocycles.     

Cinnamyl alcohols and methyl esters of fatty acids from Wedelia prostrata callus cultures

Two methyl esters of fatty acids, namely octadecanoic acid methyl ester (methyl stearate) and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (methyl palmitate), in addition to four cinnamyl alcohol derivatives, sinapyl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, p-coumaryl alcohol and coniferyl alcohol 4-O-glucoside (coniferin), were isolated from callus cultures of Wedelia prostrata. The structure of coniferin was established by spectroscopic and chemical methods, while the other compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography in comparison with standards.     

Synthesis and structure of aziridine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives with asymmetric substituents attached to the nitrogen atom

The synthesis, investigation of the structure, separation, and x-ray diffraction analysis of diastereomeric aziridine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives obtained from 2,3-dibromopropionic acid methyl ester or amide and methyl esters of amino acids are described.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1495–1500, November, 1982.     

Synthesis of methyl esters of 5-amino-4-(substituted amino)-2-methylthio-7H-pyrrolo[2,3d]-pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acids

The optimum route for the synthesis of methyl esters of N-[(4-substituted amino)-5-cyano-2-methylthiopyrimidin-6-yl]amino acids (which are starting materials for preparing the methyl esters of the corresponding 5-amino-4-(substituted amino)pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acids) is via subsequent reactions of 4,6-dichloro-2-methylthiopyrimidine-5-carbonitrile with amines and methyl glycinate. In some examples, the reaction of methyl N-(4-chloro-2-methylthio-6-pyrimidinyl)aminoacetate with amines occurs to give the corresponding acid amides. The previously unknown synthesized derivatives of pyrimidin-6-yl amino acids and 4,5-diaminopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine- 6-carboxylic acids possess fungicidal properties.Vilnius University, Vilnius 2006, Lithuania. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No 7, pp. 955–961, July, 2000.     

Methyl 2-((succinimidooxy)carbonyl)benzoate (MSB): a new,efficient reagent for N-phthaloylation of amino acid and peptide derivatives

A new, efficient, and readily available reagent, methyl 2-((succinimidooxy)carbonyl)benzoate (MSB), for N-phthaloylation of amino acids and amino acid derivatives is described. The phthaloylation procedure is simple and racemization-free and gives excellent results with alpha-amino acids, alpha-amino alcohols, dipeptides, alpha-amino carboxamides, and alpha-amino esters.     

气相色谱/质谱法分析孔石莼中的脂肪酸

建立了孔石莼脂肪酸的气相色谱/质谱(GC/MS)测定方法。使用Folch法提取了孔石莼中的总脂,经过2 mol/L HCl-甲醇溶液的甲酯化处理后,采用GC/MS法对其脂肪酸组成进行了分离分析,同时结合有机质谱学规律,分别对饱和脂肪酸甲酯、单不饱和脂肪酸甲酯和多不饱和脂肪酸甲酯的裂解规律和质谱特征进行了分析归纳。通过质谱数据库检索和标准品对照,鉴定出孔石莼中的24种脂肪酸,其中9,12,15-十八碳三烯酸、4,7,10,13-十六碳四烯酸和6,9,2,15-十八碳四烯酸3种主要多不饱和脂肪酸占总脂肪酸含量的45.14%。通过对孔石莼中脂肪酸的分析,表明特征离子在脂肪酸甲酯尤其是多不饱和脂肪酸甲酯的定性方面具有很好的应用价值。     

Enantiomeric separation of alcohols and amines on a proline chiral stationary phase by gas chromatography

A new chiral stationary phase for gas chromatography was prepared by covalently attaching a diproline chiral selector that has proven to be effective in liquid chromatography to a methylhydrosiloxane-dimethylsiloxane copolymer. With this new chiral stationary phase for GC, racemic aromatic alcohols could be resolved without derivatization. Racemic aromatic and aliphatic amines could also be resolved after derivatization of the amino groups with trifluoroacetic anhydride or isopropyl isocyanate. On this stationary phase, the isopropyl isocyanate derivatives of amines showed higher enantioselectivity than the trifluoroacetic anhydride derivatives. In both the enantiomeric separations of alcohols and derivatized amines, the aromatic racemic analytes showed higher enantioselectivities than their aliphatic analogs. Some of the alpha-amino and alpha-hydroxy aromatic acids could also be separated after derivatization to N-trifluoroacetyl methyl esters for amino acids or O-trifluoroacetyl methyl esters for hydroxyl acids.     

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis of methyl esters of N,N-dialkylaminoethane-2-sulfonic acids for verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention

This paper describes the synthesis and gas chromatography/electron ionization mass spectrometric (GC/EI-MS) analysis of methyl esters of N,N-dialkylaminoethane-2-sulfonic acids (DAESAs). These sulfonic acids are important environmental signatures of nerve agent VX and its toxic analogues, hence GC/EI-MS analysis of their methyl esters is of paramount importance for verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention. DAESAs were prepared by condensation of 2-bromoethane sulfonic acid with dialkylamines, and by condensation of dialkylaminoethyl chloride with sodium bisulfite. GC/EI-MS analysis of methyl esters of DAESAs yielded mass spectra; based on these spectra, generalized fragmentation routes are proposed that rationalize most of the characteristic ions.