Gold(III)‐Induced Oxidation of Amino Acids and Malonic Acid: Reaction Pathways Studied by NMR Spectroscopy with Isotope Labelling

Reactions of Au(III) with biomolecules are of interest in relation to understanding the mechanism of action of therapeutic gold compounds. NMR investigations of ¹³C and ¹⁵N isotopically‐labelled glycine and alanine show that Au(III) induces deamination and subsequent decarboxylation of both amino acids with the same mechanism. For comparison, reactions of Au(III) with sarcosine and the dicarboxylic acid malonic acid were also investigated. The major intermediates and products have been identified.