Amino acid hydroxyl groups

These oxazolines have cationic surface-active properties and are emulsifying agents of the water-in-oil type. They ate acid acceptors and, in some cases, corrosion inhibitors (see Corrosion). Reaction to oxazoline also is useful as a tool for determination of double-bond location in fatty acids (2), or for use as a protective group in synthesis (3). The oxazolines from AEPD and TRIS AMINO contain hydroxyl groups that can be esterified easily, giving waxes (qv) with saturated acids and drying oils (qv) with unsaturated acids. 

As with the other aminoplastics, the chemistry of resin formation is incompletely understood. It is, however, believed that under acid conditions at aniline-formaldehyde ratios of about 1 1.2, which are similar to those used in practice, the reaction proceeds via p-aminobenzyl alcohol with subsequent condensation between amino and hydroxyl groups (Figure 24.10). 

In their acidity, basicity, and the directive influence exerted on electrophilic substitution reactions in benzenoid nuclei, acylamino groups show properties which are intermediate between those of free amino and hydroxyl groups, and, therefore, it is at first surprising to find that the tautomeric behavior of acylaminopyridines closely resembles that of the aminopyridines instead of being intermediate between that of the amino- and hydroxy-pyridines. The basicities of the acylaminopyridines are, indeed, closer to those of the methoxy-pyridines than to those of the aminopyridines, the position of the tautomeric equilibrium being determined by the fact that the acyl-iminopyridones are strong bases like the iminopyridones and unlike the pyridones themselves. Thus, relative to the conversion of an... 

FIGURE 6.5 Transfer of acyl between the amino and hydroxyl groups of seryl. (A) Deprotonation of O-acylseryl- induces oxazolidine formation, which is followed by (B) rearrangement to A-acylseryl-. (C) Protonation of the carbonyl of A-acylseryl- by mineral acid results in dehydration to the oxazoline, which is followed by hydrolysis (D) at the double bond giving protonated O-acylseryl-. 

FIGURE 6.10 The side chain of histidine is readily acylated (A) by activated residues. The imidazolide produced is an activated species similar to the intermediate generated by reaction (B) of a carboxylic acid with coupling reagent carbonyldiimidazole. (Staab, 1956). Imida-zolides acylate amino and hydroxyl groups. Isomerization of histidyl during activation results from abstraction (C) of the a-proton by the 7t-nitrogen. 

Fig. 1. a-Oxidation of amino acids. Hydroxyl radical (or other reactive radical) abstracts hydrogen atom from the a-carbon. The C-centered free radical formed may react with other amino acid residues or dimerize in the absence of oxygen, which leads to protein aggregation. In die presence of oxygen the carbon-centered radical forms peroxyl radical. Reduction of peroxyl radical leads to protein hydroperoxide. Decomposition of hydroperoxide leads to formation of carbonyl compounds via either oxidative deamination or oxidative decarboxylation. Oxidation of the new carbonyl group forms a carboxyl group. 

In aminophenols, the amino and hydroxyl groups retain their individual properties, each group having little influence on the other. It is possible, therefore, under certain conditions to salt out the sodium salt from a solution of the aminophenol containing excess alkali, or the hydrochloride from a solution containing hydrochloric acid. The free aminophenol itself can be separated from neutral, ammoniacal, bicarbonate, or acetic acid solutions. 

Derivatives of phenol or aniline can be oxidized to quinones, the yield and ease of oxidation depending on the substituents. If an amino or hydroxyl group is in the para position, the reaction proceeds readily, as illustrated by the synthesis of quinone from hydroquinone by oxidation with a sodium chlorate-vanadium pentoxide mixture (5>6%) or with chromic-sulfuric acid mixture (92%). A para halogen atom usually has a favorable effect. Any group in the para position is eliminated or oxidized. o-Quinones are usually prepared from the corresponding catechols. A survey of procedures for the synthesis of benzoquinones by oxidation has been made. ... 

Amides and esters of haloacids have been frequently used in the synthesis of affinity labels. Like haloketones, these derivatives react with all the nucleophilic amino acids. Their advantages as modification reagents are two-fold. First, they are relatively more easy to synthetize than haloketones. Any substrate or reversible inhibitor with a free amino or hydroxyl group can be potentially converted into an affinity labelling reagent. Second upon acid hydrolysis, the modified protein yields carboxymethylated derivatives which are known and therefore readily identifiable and quantifiable. 

From Voet Voet, 2004) (b) The amino acid-binding site of threonyl-tRNA synthetase showing the amino acid bound to a zinc atom through its amino and hydroxyl groups (From Berg et ai, 2002. Reproduced with permission from W.H. Freeman and Co.)... 

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