The carbonate radical: its reactivity with oxygen, ammonia, amino acids, and melanins

The carbonate radical (CO 3 (*-)) is of importance in biology and chemistry. We used pulse radiolysis to generate the CO 3 (*-) radical and show there is no reaction with oxygen. However, in the presence of ammonia the CO 3 (*-) radical is removed by NO (*), which itself arises from the scavenging of NH 2 (*) by oxygen, and the mechanism of this process is reported. The CO 3 (*-) radical shows complex decay patterns in the presence of ammonia, which can be understood as a balance between the radical-radical reaction CO 3 (*-) + CO 3 (*-) and CO 3 (*-) + NH 2 (*) (the amino radical). Also, we report reactivity with glycine and alanine and with melanin models. The CO 3 (*-) reacts with both dopa-melanin (DM, a model of black eumelanin) and with cysteinyl-dopa-melanin (CDM, a model of red/blond phaeomelanin). However, the reaction rate constant is much higher with CDM than with DM.     

Chemiluminescence associated with singlet oxygen reactions with amino acids, peptides and proteins

Low level chemiluminescence (CL) is observed after protein oxidation mediated by singlet oxygen produced in Rose Bengal (RB) irradiation. This CL lasts for several minutes after the end of the photolysis. In this work, the mechanism of the process was assessed from the spectral characteristics of the CL and the effect of antioxidants (Trolox or ascorbate), Ebselen (a compound with peroxidase-like activity), azide (a singlet oxygen scavenger) and D2O, added prior to or after RB irradiation. It is concluded that most of the light emission is due to formation of excited states generated in the decomposition of peroxides and/or hydroperoxides accumulated during the photolysis. Experiments carried out in the presence of several amino acids (Cys, Met, His, Tyr and Trp) and di- and tripeptides suggest that peroxides (and/or hydroperoxides) of Trp residues are mainly responsible for the CL observed after singlet oxygen-mediated protein oxidation. The much weaker CL observed after the oxidation of proteins without Trp residues supports this conclusion. A comparison of the results obtained employing free Trp, Ala-Trp and Trp-Ala dipeptides, Ala-Trp-Ala tripeptide and Trp-containing proteins supports the conclusion that blocking the amino group of the Trp moiety strongly increases the efficiency of the chemiluminescent process, producing approximately 2.5x10(-8) photons per oxidized Trp group in Ala-Trp. A mechanism comprising two chemiluminescent oxidation pathways of Trp residues is proposed to explain the results.     

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.     

Preparation and reactions of stannylated amino acids

Hydrostannations of propargylic glycine esters with the new hydrostannation catalyst [Mo(CO)3(CNtBu)3] (MoBI3) gave rise to alpha-stannylated allylic esters in good yield and with high regioselectivity. The chelate Claisen rearrangements of these esters allow the syntheses of gamma,delta-unsaturated amino acids with a vinylstannane moiety in the side chain. The amino acids obtained can be further modified by cross-coupling with various types of electrophiles.     

Alumina catalyzed reactions of amino acids

Thermal reactions of glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), leucine (Leu), valine (Val) and proline (Pro) adsorbed on activated alumina were studied by means of thermal analysis. In the absence of alumina, decomposition of amino acids was detected as a sharp endotherm above 200°C, whereas no thermal effects were detectable by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for amino acid/alumina mixtures. This could be explained by a continuous amino acid condensation to peptides and simultaneous absorption of formed water by alumina, the latter being gradually released at higher temperatures. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) measurements revealed that the reactions of the amino acids adsorbed on alumina surface were spread over a wide range of temperatures. The catalysis of peptide bond formation on alumina surface at 85°C was proven directly by the identification of the reaction products, mainly dipeptides and cyclic anhydrides. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Direct observation and reactions of Cl3 radical

The broad absorption of Cl3 radical was observed between 1150 and 1350 nm using cavity ring-down spectroscopy at 213-265 K and 50-200 Torr with He, N2, Ar, or SF6 diluents. The absorption intensity of Cl3 increased at lower temperature and higher pressure. SF6 was the most efficient diluent gas. The temperature dependent equilibrium constants for Cl3 formation from Cl+Cl2 were theoretically calculated at the MP4SDQ6-311+G(d) level. Observed decay time profiles of Cl3 and the pressure dependence of Cl3 formation are explained by the equilibrium reaction and a decay reaction of Cl+Cl3.     

Separation of amino acids with simulated moving bed chromatography*

Authors have constructed an automatized four-column large laboratory scale (I.D. = 50 mm, L = 500 mm) simulated moving bed (SMB) equipment. The applied model system for separation of biomolecules is glycine, L-phenylalanine, water and Sepabeads SP825 adsorbent. The authors determined the adsorption equilibrium data and the packing characteristics. The operating conditions of SMB equipment were calculated with the help of the Morbidelli variables. During the SMB experiments, glycine and L-phenylalanine were separated in water on Sepabeads SP825 with an average particle size 0.3 mm at temperatures 20 degrees C and 60 degrees C. The measurement series were carried out on a four-column three-zone open loop SMB. Both L-phenylalanine and glycine were produced with more than 99.9% (m/m) purity and 99% yield at productivity 1.7-3.7, with productivity 3.7-8.1 mg/(g adsorbent h) in case of 2-1-1-0 column configuration. The measured and the calculated data agreed well.     

Mechanisms of reactions of flavin mononucleotide triplet with aromatic amino acids

Chemical reactions between the photoexcited triplet state of flavin mononucleotide and the aromatic amino acids, N-acetyl tryptophan (TrpH), N-acetyl tyrosine (TyrOH), and N-acetyl histidine (HisH) in aqueous solution have been studied in the pH range 2-12. Across the whole pH range, the principal mechanism of reaction of both TrpH and TyrOH is shown to be electron transfer. For HisH, the mechanism and rate of the reaction depend on the protonation state of the reactants. In acidic conditions (pH < 4), reaction does not occur. At 4 < pH < 11, the reaction proceeds via hydrogen atom abstraction with a rate constant varying from 3.0 x 10(6) to 2.5 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1). In extremely basic solution (pH > 12) the mechanism switches to electron transfer.     

Direct determination of amino acids by pressurized capillary electrochromatography with chemiluminescence detection

A pressurized CEC (pCEC) coupled with on-column chemiluminescence (CL) detection was developed for direct determination of amino acids, which was based on the principle of an enhanced effect of Cu(II)-amino acid complexes on the CL reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution. The effects of some important factors on pCEC separation and CL intensity were systemically investigated. Baseline separation of amino acids including L-histidine (L-His), L-threonine (L-Thr), and L-tyrosine (L-Tyr) was achieved by using a monolithic column with a mobile phase of 5.0x10(-3) mol/L phosphate buffer at pH 8.0 that contained 25% v/v methanol and 5.0x10(-4) mol/L luminol and 1.0x10(-5) mol/L Cu(II) at an applied voltage of -5 kV. The calibration curves of the analytes by plotting the peak height against corresponding concentration were linear over the range of 3.2x10(-6)-3.2x10(-4) mol/L for L-His, 4.1x10(-6)-4.1x10(-4) mol/L for L-Thr, and 6.0x10(-7)-3.0x10(-4) mol/L for L-Tyr. The LODs for L-His, L-Thr, and L-Tyr were 6.4x10(-7), 8.4x10(-7), and 3.0x10(-7) mol/L (S/N = 2), respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of amino acid injection sample with satisfactory results. Mean recoveries for three amino acids were from 84.3 to 89.6%.     

Synthesis of novel water-soluble linear and heterocyclic phosphino amino acids from 2-phosphinophenols or 2-phosphinophenolethers, formaldehyde and amino acids

Acyclic and cyclic amino acid derivatives of 2-phosphinophenols have been synthesised by reaction of primary phosphinophenols (4-R-2-H₂PC₆H₃OH; R=H, Me, OMe) 1a–c with formaldehyde and amino acids (o- and p-aminobenzoic acid, -lysine) via in situ formed hydroxymethyl species 2a–c. Condensation reactions with glycine did not afford defined products except when the methoxymethyl and tetrahydropyranyl ethers of 1d,e were used instead of the hydroxy compounds. o-Aminobenzoic acid gives rise to linear bis(o-carboxyphenylaminomethyl)phosphines 3a–e. p-Aminobenzoic acid, dependent on the molar ratio, affords bis(p-carboxyphenylaminomethyl)phosphines 4a,d as well as eight-membered heterocyclic 1,5,3,7-diazadiphosphacyclooctanes 5a–e. The aliphatic amino acids glycine and -lysine form six-membered heterocyclic 1,3,5-diazaphosphorinanes 6d and 7a–e, respectively, in presence of excess formaldehyde. -lysine differs from glycine by reaction at the terminal amino group. The structures of the compounds have been elucidated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The salts of the phosphino amino acids are soluble in water. Water solubility increases with the number of hydrophilic groups, i.e. free phenols are more soluble than their ethers. Ligand concentrations in water from 0.1 to 1 M were observed.     

A shock tube study of the reactions of NH with NO,O2, and O

The reactions of NH(X³Σ⁻) with NO, O₂, and O have been studied in reflected and incident shock wave experiments. The source of NH in all the experiments was the thermal dissociation of isocyanic acid, HNCO. Time-histories of the NH(X³Σ) and OH(X²Π) radicals were measured behind the shock waves using cw, narrow-linewidth laser absorption at 336 nm and 307 nm, respectively. The second-order rate coefficients of the reactions: were determined to be: and cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, where ƒ and F define the lower and upper uncertainty limits, respectively. The branching fraction of channel defined as k_3b/k_3total, was determined to be 0.19 ± 0.10 over the temperature range of 2940 K to 3040 K.     

Direct determination of amino acids and carbohydrates by high-performance capillary electrophoresis with refractometric detection

This is an initial report to propose a novel approach in high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) for the direct detection of compounds without natural absorbance in the UV and visible spectral range, such as amino acids and carbohydrates. A refractometry detector with the 2 nl cell (Applied Systems, Minsk, Belarus) was employed to identify amino acids and carbohydrates without derivatization. The first results are provided on separation of seven free amino acids in the phosphate running buffer and three free carbohydrates in the borate-sodium dodecyl sulfate running buffer and detection by refractometer. Fused capillaries of 50 or 75 microm internal diameter and separation voltage (10-23 kV) were applied. Detection limits ranged typically from 10 to 100 fmol and the response was linear over two orders of magnitude for most of the amino acids and carbohydrates. The HPCE system demonstrated good long-term stability and reproducibility with a relative standard deviation, less than 5% for the migration time (n=10).