Amino optically active

Note that the amino-acids, because of their salt-like nature, usually decompose on heating, and therefore seldom have sharp melting-points. Furthermore, all naturally occurring amino-acids are a-amino-acids, and consequently, with the exception of glycine, can exist in optically active forms. 

All the amino-acids of physiological importance are a-amino-acids, e.g. (in addition to the above compounds), alanine or a-amino-propionk acid, CHaCH(NH,)COOH, and leucine or a-amino-Y-dimethyl-rt-butyric acid, (CH,)aCHCH,CH(NHa)COOH, and naturally occurring samples (except glycine) are therefore optically active. 

The carbonyiation of o-diiodobenzene with a primary amine affords the phthalimide 501 [355,356]. Carbonyiation of iodobenzene in the presence of (9-diaminobenzene (502) and DBU or 2,6-lutidine affords 2-phenylbenzimida-zole (503)[357, The carbonyiation of aryl iodides in the presence of pentaflnor-oaniline affords 2-arylbenzoxazoles directly, 2-Arylbenzoxazole is prepared indirectly by the carbonyiation of (9-aminophenol[358j. The optically active aryl or alkenyl oxazolinc 505 is prepared by the carbonyiation of the aryl or enol triflates in the presence of the opticaly active amino alcohol 504, followed by treatment with thionyl chloride[359]. 

Optically active thiazoline-5-ones (203) can be obtained when cycliza-tion of an optically active N-thiobenzoyl amino acid is brought about by the use of dicyclohexyl carbodiimide in pure chloroform, dich-loromethane (455), or tetrahydrofuran (453. 456) (Scheme 104). 

Hydrolysis of the following compound in concentrated hydrochlonc acid for several hours at 100°C gives one of the amino acids in Table 27 1 Which one" Is it optically active" ... 

Synthetic utility of stereoselective alkylations in natural product chemistry is exemplified by the preparation of optically active 2-arylglycine esters (38). Chirally specific a-amino acids with methoxyaryl groups attached to the a-carbon were prepared by reaction of the dimethyl ether of a chiral bis-lactam derivative with methoxy arenes. Using SnCl as the Lewis acid, enantioselectivities ranging from 65 to 95% were obtained. 

The reaction can be used ia the large-scale production of the optically active amino acid detivatives. The chiraUty of the a-carbon is substantially retained and resolution of the product is avoided. 

The asterisk signifies an asymmetric carbon. AH of the amino acids, except glycine, have two optically active isomers designated D- or L-. Isoleucine and threonine also have centers of asymmetry at their P-carbon atoms (1,10). Protein amino acids are of the L-a-form (1,10) as illustrated in Table 1. 

In many cases only the racemic mixtures of a-amino acids can be obtained through chemical synthesis. Therefore, optical resolution (42) is indispensable to get the optically active L- or D-forms in the production of expensive or uncommon amino acids. The optical resolution of amino acids can be done in two general ways physical or chemical methods which apply the stereospecific properties of amino acids, and biological or enzymatic methods which are based on the characteristic behavior of amino acids in living cells in the presence of enzymes. 

Derivatization with Optically Active Reagents and Separation on Achiral Columns. This method has been reviewed (65) a great number of homochiral derivatizing agents (HD A) are described together with many appHcations. An important group is the chloroformate HD As. The reaction of chloroformate HD As with racemic, amino-containing compounds yields carbamates, which are easily separated on conventional hplc columns, eg (66),... 

Asymmetric synthesis is a method for direct synthesis of optically active amino acids and finding efficient catalysts is a great target for researchers. Many exceUent reviews have been pubHshed (72). Asymmetric syntheses are classified as either enantioselective or diastereoselective reactions. Asymmetric hydrogenation has been appHed for practical manufacturing of l-DOPA and t-phenylalanine, but conventional methods have not been exceeded because of the short life of catalysts. An example of an enantio selective reaction, asymmetric hydrogenation of a-acetamidoacryHc acid derivatives, eg, Z-2-acetamidocinnamic acid [55065-02-6] (6), is shown below and in Table 4 (73). 

The configuration of the amine was retained, except in the case of amino acid derivatives, which racemized at the stage of the pyridinium salt product. Control experiments showed that, while the starting amino acid was configurationally stable under the reaction conditions, the pyridinium salt readily underwent deuterium exchange at the rz-position in D2O. In another early example, optically active amino alcohol 73 and amino acetate 74 provided chiral 1,4-dihydronicotinamide precursors 75 and 76, respectively, upon reaction with Zincke salt 8 (Scheme 8.4.24). The 1,4-dihydro forms of 75 and 76 were used in studies on the asymmetric reduction of rz,>S-unsaturated iminium salts. 

A recent report describes the conversion of A-formyl- and N-acetyl-L-leucine into optically active azlactones with dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide (DCC) [Eq. (29)]. Other cyclization reagents, e.g. acetic anhydride, POCI3, SOCI2, and polyphosphoric acid, cause racemiza-tion. These azlactones react with optically active amino acid esters to give esters of dipeptides with retention of activity. 

Racemic /ru -2-(l-naphthylsulfonyl)-7- [4-amino-2-quinaxolinyl)amino-methyl]perhydropyrido[l,2-u]pyrazine was resolved into the optically active enantiomers by means of a Chiralpack column (01MIP20). 

Reductive alkylation with chiral substrates may afford new chiral centers. The reaction has been of interest for the preparation of optically active amino acids where the chirality of the amine function is induced in the prochiral carbonyl moiety 34,35). The degree of induced asymmetry is influenced by substrate, solvent, and temperature 26,27,28,29,48,51,65). Asymmetry also has been obtained by reduction of prochiral imines, using a chiral catalyst 44). Prediction of the major configurational isomer arising from a reductive alkylation can be made usually by the assumption that amine formation comes via an imine, not the hydroxyamino addition compound, and that the catalyst approaches the least hindered side (57). 

The naturally occurring form of the amino acid cysteine (Problem 9.48) has the S configuration at its chirality center. On treatment with a mild oxidizing agent, two cysteines join to give cystine, a disulfide. Assuming that the chirality center is not affected by the reaction, is cystine optically active ... 

In all the amino acids shown in Table 23.3 except glycine, the a-carbon is chiral. This means that these compounds are optically active. With alanine, for example, there should be two optical isomers ... 

Electrochemical fluorination of cyclic 2-(dialkylamino)-propionic acids provides a general route to optically active perfluoro-(2-cycIic(dialkyl-amino)-propionic acids [91 JFC(52) 133], which are a source of perfluorinated vinylamines (88CL1887). 

Can you explain why the amino acid alanine is optically active, whereas glycine... 

Not only the smallest optically active amino acid (alanine), but also leucine, several (substituted) aromatic amino acids, heterosubstituted amino acids (methionine, homomethionine and thienylglydne) and even an iminoacid, proline, are obtainable in both the L- and D-form. 

Hie bioconversion of a-aminonitriles, although up until now not used on an industrial scale, is of practical interest in the production of optical active a-amino adds. This, however, will only be the case if one can select a nitrilase that enantioselectively hydrolyses die aminonitrile. 

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