Theoretical Study of the Alkaline Hydrolysis of Tricyclic Carbapenem

Alkaline hydrolysis is a good test to evaluate the properties of β‐lactam compounds and derivatives. In this work, a RHF/6‐31+G*//RHF/6‐31+G* theoretical study of the mechanism controlling the alkaline hydrolysis of sanfetrinem was conducted. The geometric properties of this compound are consistent with an intrinsic reactivity similar to that of other β‐lactams including penicillins and cephalosporins. Also, similarly to cephalosporins, the MeO group provides an alternative route for the hydrolysis mechanism.