Analysis of hydrophilic metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using a silica hydride-based stationary phase

A novel silica hydride-based stationary phase was used to evaluate the retention behavior in the aqueous normal-phase (ANP) mode of standards representing three classes of metabolites. The effects on retention behavior of amino acids, carbohydrates and small organic acids were examined by altering the column temperature, and by adding different additives to both the mobile phase and sample solvent. Gradient mode results revealed the repeatability of retention times to be very stable for these compound classes. At both 15 and 30 degrees C, excellent RSD values were obtained with less than 1% variation for over 50 injections of an amino acid mixture. The ability to separate the 19 nonderivatized amino acid standards, organic acids and carbohydrates was demonstrated as well as the potential for this material to separate polar metabolites in complex fluids such as urine.     

Phase‐Transfer‐Catalyzed Asymmetric SNAr Reaction of α‐Amino Acid Derivatives with Arene Chromium Complexes

Although phase‐transfer‐catalyzed asymmetric S_NAr reactions provide unique contribution to the catalytic asymmetric α‐arylations of carbonyl compounds to produce biologically active α‐aryl carbonyl compounds, the electrophiles were limited to arenes bearing strong electron‐withdrawing groups, such as a nitro group. To overcome this limitation, we examined the asymmetric S_NAr reactions of α‐amino acid derivatives with arene chromium complexes derived from fluoroarenes, including those containing electron‐donating substituents. The arylation was efficiently promoted by binaphthyl‐modified chiral phase‐transfer catalysts to give the corresponding α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids containing various aromatic substituents with high enantioselectivities.     

Asymmetric interaction of optically active polymers with asymmetric small molecules. IV. Effect of hydrophobic groups on asymmetric interaction

In order to investigate the mechanism of the asymmetric interaction between optically active polymers and small molecules, optically active copolymers of N-acrylyl L-amino acids(N-acrylyl-L -phenylalanine, N-acrylyl-L -tryptophan, and N-acrylyl-L -leucine, respectively) and N,N′-hexamethylene diacrylylamide were synthesized, and interaction of these polymers with the optical isomers of phenylalanine and tryptophan was investigated. In the interaction of these acidic polymers with amino acids performed at pH 5.0, significant difference in amount of adsorption between the D and L isomers of amino acids were observed, and the L form of amino acids was adsorbed preferentially. The interaction between optically active small molecules was also investigated: these results showed a similarity to the results for interaction between optically active polymers and amino acids. In some instances of asymmetric interaction the influence of hydrophobic interaction between a polymer and substrate was clearly perceived. The stereoselective effects on the asymmetric interaction are discussed.     

Direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides

In nature there are at least nineteen different acyclic amino acids that act as the building blocks of polypeptides and proteins with different functions. Here we report that alpha-amino acids, beta-amino acids, and chiral amines containing primary amine functions catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities. Moreover, the amino acids can be combined into highly modular natural and unusual small peptides that also catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high stereoselectivities, to furnish the corresponding aldol products with up to >99 % ee. Simple amino acids and small peptides can thus catalyze asymmetric aldol reactions with stereoselectivities matching those of natural enzymes that have evolved over billions of years. A small amount of water accelerates the asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides, and also increases their stereoselectivities. Notably, small peptides and amino acid tetrazoles were able to catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities in water, while the parent amino acids, in stark contrast, furnished nearly racemic products. These results suggest that the prebiotic oligomerization of amino acids to peptides may plausibly have been a link in the evolution of the homochirality of sugars. The mechanism and stereochemistry of the reactions are also discussed.     

Retention behavior of a homologous series and positional isomers of aliphatic amino acids in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The retention behavior of several series of free α‐ and ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode (HILIC) was studied. The study was carried out on three stationary phases followed by post‐column derivatization with fluorescence detection in order to describe the retention mechanism of the tested amino acids. The effect of chromatographic conditions including acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, mobile phase pH (ranging from 3.5 to 6.5) and concentration of buffer in the mobile phase was investigated. The effect of the number of carbon atoms (n_C) in aliphatic chains of the individual homologue of α‐ and ω‐amino acids and the logarithm of the partition coefficient (logD) on retention was also a part of the presented study. A good correlation (r > 0.98) between the logk and logD values of amino acids or n_C, respectively, was observed. The described linear relationships were subsequently applied to predict the retention behavior of individual members of the homologous series of amino acids and to optimize the mobile phase composition in HILIC. The obtained results confirmed that the retention mechanism of α‐amino acids, ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino acids was based on the logD values and the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic chains of amino acids. The elution order of ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid was strongly dependent on the mobile phase pH in the investigated range whereas the retention factors of all α‐amino acids remained essentially unchanged on all tested stationary phases.     

大环糖肽抗生素键合相高效液相色谱法拆分7种氨基带保护基的氨基酸对映体

采用高效液相色谱法在装有大环糖肽抗生素键合相的手性柱上拆分了7种氨基带有芴甲氧羰基(fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl,Fmoc)保护的氨基酸对映体。比较了Fmoc-缬氨酸和相应的不带保护基的缬氨酸对映体在不同流动相体系中的色谱保留行为;考察了甲醇-醋酸-三乙胺流动相体系中醋酸和三乙胺的浓度以及它们二者的浓度之比对N-Fmoc氨基酸对映体拆分效果的影响。实验结果表明分离温度及流动相流速的变化也会对分离结果产生影响。该法简便快速,已成功地用于这类氨基酸的光学纯度测定。     

Selectivity of dansyl amino acids in micellar liquid chromatography with an ion-exchange-induced stationary phase

Summary The retention behavior of dansyl amino acids in micellar liquid chromatography has been examined by using ionexchange-induced stationary phases. Several parameters affected the retention of the analytes, including the type and concentration of micellar agent and modifier ion and the concentration of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. The order of elution of dansyl amino acids obtained with the micellar mobile phase was very different from that observed in conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Fluorescence intensities of some dansyl amino acids were enhanced by the micellar mobile phase.     

Nanosheet‐Enhanced Asymmetric Induction of Chiral α‐Amino Acids in Catalytic Aldol Reaction

An efficient ligand design strategy towards boosting asymmetric induction was proposed, which simply employed inorganic nanosheets to modify α‐amino acids and has been demonstrated to be effective in vanadium‐catalyzed epoxidation of allylic alcohols. Here, the strategy was first extended to zinc‐catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction, a versatile bottom‐up route to make complex functional compounds. Zinc, the second‐most abundant transition metal in humans, is an environment‐friendly catalytic center. The strategy was then further proved valid for organocatalyzed metal‐free asymmetric catalysis, that is, α‐amino acid catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction. Visible improvement of enantioselectivity was experimentally achieved irrespective of whether the nanosheet‐attached α‐amino acids were applied as chiral ligands together with catalytic Zn^II centers or as chiral catalysts alone. The layered double hydroxide nanosheet was clearly found by theoretical calculations to boost ee through both steric and H‐bonding effects; this resembles the role of a huge and rigid substituent.     

Amino acid catalyzed neogenesis of carbohydrates: a plausible ancient transformation

Hexose sugars play a fundamental role in vital biochemical processes and their biosynthesis is achieved through enzyme-catalyzed pathways. Herein we disclose the ability of amino acids to catalyze the asymmetric neogenesis of carbohydrates by sequential cross-aldol reactions. The amino acids mediate the asymmetric de novo synthesis of natural L- and D-hexoses and their analogues with excellent stereoselectivity in organic solvents. In some cases, the four new stereocenters are assembled with almost absolute stereocontrol. The unique feature of these results is that, when an amino acid is employed as the catalyst, a single reaction sequence can convert a protected glycol aldehyde into a hexose in one step. For example, proline and its derivatives catalyze the asymmetric neogenesis of allose with >99 % ee in one chemical manipulation. Furthermore, all amino acids tested catalyzed the asymmetric formation of natural sugars under prebiotic conditions, with alanine being the smallest catalyst. The inherent simplicity of this catalytic process suggests that a catalytic prebiotic "gluconeogenesis" may occur, in which amino acids transfer their stereochemical information to sugars. In addition, the amino acid catalyzed stereoselective sequential cross-aldol reactions were performed as a two-step procedure with different aldehydes as acceptors and nucleophiles. The employment of two different amino acids as catalysts for the iterative direct aldol reactions enabled the asymmetric synthesis of deoxysugars with >99 % ee. In addition, the direct amino acid catalyzed C(2)+C(2)+C(2) methodology is a new entry for the short, highly enantioselective de novo synthesis of carbohydrate derivatives, isotope-labeled sugars, and polyketide natural products. The one-pot asymmetric de novo syntheses of deoxy and polyketide carbohydrates involved a novel dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) mediated by an amino acid.     

Enantioselective synthesis of stimulus-responsive amino acid via asymmetric α-amination of aldehyde

Development of a methodology to control the function of peptides and proteins is an indispensable task in the field of chemical biology and drug delivery. Recently, we reported synthesis of racemic stimulus-responsive amino acids and their application for controlling peptidyl function. In this study, we report enantioselective synthesis of a key intermediate of stimulus-responsive amino acids via asymmetric α-amination reaction of an aldehyde. The obtained chiral intermediate was converted to an Fmoc protected UV-responsive amino acid with (S)-configuration, and it was successfully incorporated into a model peptide by Fmoc solid phase peptide synthesis.     

Asymmetric cyclization via memory of chirality: a concise access to cyclic amino acids with a quaternary stereocenter

N-(omega-Bromoalkyl)-amino acid derivatives, readily prepared from natural alpha-amino acids, gave cyclic amino acids with a quaternary stereocenter by treatment with potassium hexamethyldisilazaide in DMF. The chirality of parent amino acids was almost completely preserved during an enolate-formation and cyclization process, giving aza-cyclic amino acids in up to 98% ee in retention of configuration. This method is applicable to the asymmetric synthesis of azetidine, pyrrolidine, piperidine, and azepane derivatives. The asymmetric cyclization seems to proceed via an axially chiral enolate intermediate and not through a concerted SEi process.     

Acyclic chiral amines and amino acids as inexpensive and readily tunable catalysts for the direct asymmetric three-component Mannich reaction

The direct three-component asymmetric Mannich reaction catalyzed by acyclic chiral amines or amino acids is presented. Simple acyclic chiral amines and amino acids--such as alanine-tetrazole (9), alanine, valine, and serine-catalyzed the three-component asymmetric Mannich reactions between unmodified ketones, p-anisidine, and aldehydes with high chemo- and stereoselectivity, furnishing the corresponding Mannich bases with up to >99 % ee. This study demonstrates that the whole range of amino acids in nature, as well as nonproteogenic amino acid derivatives, can be considered in the design and tuning of novel, inexpensive organocatalysts for the direct asymmetric Mannich reaction.     

Visible Light Induced Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Deaminative Arylation of Amino Acid Derivatives Assisted by Phenol

The exploration of value-added conversions of naturally abundant amino acids has received considerable attention from the synthetic community. Compared with the well-established asymmetric decarboxylative transformation, the asymmetric deaminative transformation of amino acids still remains a formidable challenge, mainly due to the lack of effective strategies for the C−N bond activation and the potential incompatibility with chiral catalysts. Here, we disclose a photoinduced Cu-catalyzed asymmetric deaminative coupling reaction of amino acids with arylboronic acids. This new protocol provides a series of significant chiral phenylacetamides in generally good yields and excellent stereoselectivity under mild and green conditions (42–85 % yields, up to 97 % ee). Experimental investigations and theoretical calculations were performed to reveal the crucial role of additional phenols in improving catalytic efficiency and enantiocontrol.     

奎宁-冠醚组合型手性固定相直接拆分氨基酸的机理

合成了一种新型奎宁-冠醚组合型手性固定相(QN-CR CSP)并用于氨基酸手性对映体的直接拆分,该固定相对12种氨基酸对映体有良好的手性拆分能力。基于氨基酸手性识别中离子交换和络合的协同作用,建立了一种新型的等温吸附模型。通过迎头特殊点洗脱法(FACP)测定色氨酸(Trp)在不同金属离子添加剂条件下的等温吸附线,验证了模型的合理性。流动相中的Li⁺、Na⁺、K⁺等金属离子与氨基酸竞争固定相中的冠醚络合位点,随着金属离子与冠醚的络合作用力和络合吸附平衡常数增大,固定相对Trp的手性拆分能力下降。该模型的建立对理解氨基酸在此类固定相中的手性保留行为以及固定相结构的进一步优化具有重要意义。     

Quaternary β2,2‐Amino Acids: Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis and Incorporation into Peptides by Fmoc‐Based Solid‐Phase Peptide Synthesis

β‐Amino acid incorporation has emerged as a promising approach to enhance the stability of parent peptides and to improve their biological activity. Owing to the lack of reliable access to β^2,2‐amino acids in a setting suitable for peptide synthesis, most contemporary research efforts focus on the use of β³‐ and certain β^2,3‐amino acids. Herein, we report the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of β^2,2‐amino acids and their incorporation into peptides by Fmoc‐based solid‐phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc‐SPPS). A quaternary carbon center was constructed by the palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of 4‐substituted isoxazolidin‐5‐ones. The N?O bond in the products not only acts as a traceless protecting group for β‐amino acids but also undergoes amide formation with α‐ketoacids derived from Fmoc‐protected α‐amino acids, thus providing expeditious access to α‐β^2,2‐dipeptides ready for Fmoc‐SPPS.     

光学活性含硅氨基酸的合成

光学纯的硅取代氨基酸是一类非天然的手性氨基酸合成子，在药物，植物保护 剂和精细化学品的合成具有极为广阔的应用前景，其合成方法包括化学不对称合成 及化学合成外消旋体－生物学拆分两种，综述了该方面的研究进展。     

Origins of opposite syn-anti diastereoselectivities in primary and secondary amino acid-catalyzed intermolecular aldol reactions involving unmodified alpha-hydroxyketones

The effects of different amino acid catalysts on the stereoselectivity of the direct intermolecular aldol reactions between alpha-hydroxyketones and isobutyraldehyde or 4-nitrobenzaldehyde have been studied with the aid of density functional theory methods. The transition states of the crucial C-C bond-forming step with the enamine intermediate addition to the aldehyde for the proline and threonine-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions are reported. B3LYP/6-31+G** calculations provide a good explanation for the opposite syn vs anti diastereoselectivity of these two kinds of amino acid catalysts (anti-selectivity for the secondary cyclic amino acids proline, syn-selectivity for the acyclic primary amino acids like threonine). Calculated and observed diastereomeric ratio and enantiomeric excess values are in good agreement.     

Adsorption Behavior of Amino Acids on a Stainless Steel Surface

The adsorption behavior of various amino acids on a stainless steel surface was investigated at 30 degrees C and over a pH range of 3-10. Acidic and basic amino acids except histidine adsorbed remarkably at pH 3-4 and 7-10, respectively, and showed Langmuir-type adsorption isotherms. The effects of pH and ionic strength on the adsorption isotherms were investigated to analyze the interactions between amino acids and adsorption sites on the stainless steel. Hydrophobic amino acids and glycine showed only small adsorbed amounts at all pHs tested. For the acidic and basic amino acids, reversibility of the absorption and the influence of the ionic strength on the adsorption behavior were examined. The adsorption isotherms of the derivatives of aspartic acid were also measured in order to examine the contribution of the carboxylic groups of acidic amino acids to the adsorption. Furthermore, a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis and semiempirical molecular orbital calculation were carried out to analyze the ionization states and the configuration of the amino acids adsorbed on a stainless steel surface. These investigations suggest that the acidic and basic amino acids adsorb through two electrostatic interactions of two ionized groups in the amino acid with a stainless steel surface. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Investigating the Effect of Chromatographic Conditions on Retention of Organic Acids in Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography Using a Design of Experiment

Small organic acids have shown significant retention on various stationary phases, such as amide, amino, aspartamide, silica and sulfobetaine phase commonly used in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). This study investigated the effect of chromatographic conditions on the retention behavior of organic acids in HILIC using the tool of design of experiment (DOE). The results of the DOE study indicated that both the content of organic solvent (i.e., acetonitrile) and salt concentration in the mobile phase had significant effects on the retention of organic acids. Higher content of organic solvent in the mobile phase led to a significant increase in retention on all types of stationary phases. Increasing salt concentration also resulted in a moderate increase in retention; however, the effect of salt concentration varied with the type of stationary phase. The study also revealed that column temperature had less impact on retention than organic solvent content and salt concentration in HILIC.     

手性口恶唑硼烷酮催化不对称Aldol反应的研究

以廉价易得的手性氨基酸为原料合成了一系列氮磺酰化氨基酸配体,并将之与硼烷原闰制备成手性恶唑硼烷酮催化苯甲醛与烯醇硅醚的不对称Aldol反应,获得了较好的效果。对各种影响反应结果的因素进行了讨论,并对其不对称诱导机理进行了探讨。结果表明D-苯基甘氨酸衍生的手性恶唑硼烷酮催化剂对这种反应的催化效明显好于L-缬氨酸、L-亮氨酸、L-异亮氨酸等其它脂肪侧链氨基酸衍生的恶唑硼烷酮催化剂。其所得产物的化学产率和ee值分别为38.7%和81.7%。