Acids a-keto

The azlactones may be hydrolysed by strong alkali to a-keto acids, for example ... 

Amination of OC-Keto Acids. a-Keto acids are catal57tically reduced... 

D-amino acid oxidase D-amino acids a-keto acids +NH3 2FAD U2 H2U2... 

Ring fission occurs readily in many of these compounds. For example, azlactones, i.e. 4JT-oxazolin-5-ones containing an exocyclic C=C bond at the 4-position (508), are hydrolyzed to a-benzamido-a,/3-unsaturated acids (509), further hydrolysis of which gives a-keto acids (510). Reduction and subsequent hydrolysis in situ of azlactones is used in the synthesis of a-amino acids e.g. 508 -> 507). 

Alpha amino acids (and aldehydes) synthesis by reaction of an alpha keto add with another amino acid (Herbst-EngeO or by reaction of a keto acid with ammonia tmdef reducing conditions (Knoop-Oe sterling). 

A solution of bismuth trioxide in hot glacial acetic acid provides a specific method for the oxidation of acyloins. " The reaction rate is dependent on the steric accessibility of the ketol system. A 2,3-ketol requires less than one hour for completion but an 11,12-ketol is not yet fully oxidized in thirty hours." The reaction is highly selective as a-keto acids, hydrazines and phenols are not oxidized. In a direct comparison with cupric acetate, this procedure is somewhat superior for the preparation of a 2,3-diketone from a 2-keto-3-hydroxy steroid. ... 

One class of enzymes that follow a ping-pong-type mechanism are aminotransferases (previously known as transaminases). These enzymes catalyze the transfer of an amino group from an amino acid to an a-keto acid. The products are a new amino acid and the keto acid corresponding to the carbon skeleton of the amino donor ... 

A rather limited collection of simple precursor molecules is sufficient to provide for the biosynthesis of virtually any cellular constituent, be it protein, nucleic acid, lipid, or polysaccharide. All of these substances are constructed from appropriate building blocks via the pathways of anabolism. In turn, the building blocks (amino acids, nucleotides, sugars, and fatty acids) can be generated from metabolites in the cell. For example, amino acids can be formed by amination of the corresponding a-keto acid carbon skeletons, and pyruvate can be converted to hexoses for polysaccharide biosynthesis. 

The NAD- and NADP-dependent dehydrogenases catalyze at least six different types of reactions simple hydride transfer, deamination of an amino acid to form an a-keto acid, oxidation of /3-hydroxy acids followed by decarboxylation of the /3-keto acid intermediate, oxidation of aldehydes, reduction of isolated double bonds, and the oxidation of carbon-nitrogen bonds (as with dihydrofolate reductase). 

Pyruvate kinase possesses allosteric sites for numerous effectors. It is activated by AMP and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and inhibited by ATP, acetyl-CoA, and alanine. (Note that alanine is the a-amino acid counterpart of the a-keto acid, pyruvate.) Furthermore, liver pyruvate kinase is regulated by covalent modification. Flormones such as glucagon activate a cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which transfers a phosphoryl group from ATP to the enzyme. The phos-phorylated form of pyruvate kinase is more strongly inhibited by ATP and alanine and has a higher for PEP, so that, in the presence of physiological levels of PEP, the enzyme is inactive. Then PEP is used as a substrate for glucose synthesis in the pathway (to be described in Chapter 23), instead... 

Few examples with a-keto acids other than pyruvic acid have been reported. Typically, the yields with alternate acids are quite poor. When using pyruvic acid, the reaction gives higher yields of the desired product when freshly distilled pyruvic acid is used. ... 

With semicarbazones of lower a-keto acids the reaction proceeds with some difficulty or not at all. Thus, the semicarbazones of pyruvic acid cannot be cyclized and that of glyoxylic acid is predominantly hydrolyzed so that the yield of the cyclization product is only 20-25%. ° This reaction was used in work with a different object, for preparing 6-azauracil, for the first time. 

The starting semicarbazones were most often prepared directly from the a-keto acids. Godfrin proceeded from a-alkyl acetoacetates, which were converted by oxidation with nitrosylsulfuric acid to a-keto-acid oximes and the latter transformed to semicarbazones or thioseraicarbazones by applying semicarbazide or thiosemicarbazide. For glyoxylic acid semicarbazone a very convenient procedure was employed, making use of the hydrolysis of nonisolated chloral semicarbazone. ... 

In continuing their previous work Bougault and Daniel observed that thiosemicarbazones of a-keto acids (51) also undergo a cyclization resulting in 3-thioxo-5-oxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-l,2,4-triazines (52). In contrast with the cyclization of semicarbazones this cyclization... 

The last of the procedures of preparation of A -alkyl derivatives of dioxotriazines is the cyclization of A-alkylated semicarbazones of a-keto acids. It was employed only in a few cases and it appears that its yields are very low. Despite the fact that even here a fundamental effect of substitution on the yield of cyclization can be expected, as the case is with analogous thiosemicarbazones (e.g., Section II,B,4,b), the method is of no particular preparative value. 

Even if no general conclusions can be drawn on the basis of existing material, it appears that further study of cyclization of these substances could elucidate the mechanism of cyclization of thiosemi-carbazones of a-keto acids which is of fundamental importance in the chemistry of dioxotriazines. 

The second line of circumstantial evidence quoted in support of this hypothesis is the ready formation of l,2,3,4-tetrahydro-/3-carboline derivatives under pseudo-physiological conditions of temperature, pH, and concentration. Tryptamine and aldehydes, trypt-amine and a-keto acids, and tryptophan and aldehydes condense at room temperature in a Pictet-Spengler type intramolecular Mannich reaction in the pH range 5.2-8.0 (cf. Section III, A, 1, a). It was argued that experiments of this type serve as models for biochemical reactions and may be used in evidence. 

Azlactones like 6 are mainly used as intermediates in the synthesis of a-amino acids and a-keto acids. The Erlenmeyer-Pldchl reaction takes place under milder conditions than the Perkin reaction. 

Oxidation of ecgonine (2) by means of chromium trioxide was found to afford a keto acid (3). This was formulated as shown based on the fact that the compound undergoes ready themnal decarboxylation to tropinone (4)The latter had been obtained earlier from degradative studies in connection with the structural determination of atropine (5) and its structure established independently. Confirmation for the structure came from the finding that carbonation of the enolate of tropinone does in fact lead back to ecgonine. Reduction, esterification with methanol followed by benzoylation then affords cocaine. 

It yields a monobromide melting at 41°, a semi-carbazone melting at 220° to 221 °, and an oxime melting at 106°. When reduced with sodium and alcohol it yields a secondary alcohol, which forms large crystals melting at 51°. On oxidation by cold 3 per cent, solution of potassium permanganate it yields geronic acid, a keto-acid of the constitution—... 

Yet a third method for the synthesis of a-amino acids is by reductive amination of an a-keto acid with ammonia and a reducing agent. Alanine, for instance, is prepared by treatment of pyruvic acid with ammonia in the presence of NaBH As described in Section 24.6, the reaction proceeds through formation of an intermediate imine that is then reduced. 

---