Amino racemization

It is important to notice that the united-atom simplification cannot be applied to functional hydrogens which are involved in the formation of a hydrogen hond or a salt bridge. This would destroy interactions important for the structural integrity of the protein. Removing the hydrogen at the u-carbon of the peptide backbone is also dangerous, because it prevents racemization of the amino acid. 

With the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCQ reagent racemization is more pronounced in polar solvents such as DMF than in CHjCl2, for example. An efficient method for reduction of racemization in coupling with DCC is to use additives such as N-hydroxysuccinimide or l-hydroxybenzotriazole. A possible explanation for this effect of nucleophilic additives is that they compete with the amino component for the acyl group to form active esters, which in turn reaa without racemization. There are some other condensation agents (e.g. 2-ethyl-7-hydroxybenz[d]isoxazolium and l-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-l,2-dihydroquinoline) that have been found not to lead to significant racemization. They have, however, not been widely tested in peptide synthesis. 

Another protecting group of amines is 1-isopropylallyloxycarbonyl, which can be deprotected by decarboxylation and a /3-elimination reaction of the (tt-l-isopropylallyl)palladium intermediate under neutral conditions, generating CO2 and 4-methyl-1,3-pentadiene. The method can be applied to the amino acid 674 and peptides without racemization[437]. 

It IS understood that a amino acids occur as their l stereo isomers unless otherwise indicated The d notation is explicitly shown when a D amino acid is present and a racemic amino acid is identified by the prefix dl... 

These methodologies have been reviewed (22). In both methods, synthesis involves assembly of protected peptide chains, deprotection, purification, and characterization. However, the soHd-phase method, pioneered by Merrifield, dominates the field of peptide chemistry (23). In SPPS, the C-terminal amino acid of the desired peptide is attached to a polymeric soHd support. The addition of amino acids (qv) requires a number of relatively simple steps that are easily automated. Therefore, SPPS contains a number of advantages compared to the solution approach, including fewer solubiUty problems, use of less specialized chemistry, potential for automation, and requirement of relatively less skilled operators (22). Additionally, intermediates are not isolated and purified, and therefore the steps can be carried out more rapidly. Moreover, the SPPS method has been shown to proceed without racemization, whereas in fragment synthesis there is always a potential for racemization. Solution synthesis provides peptides of relatively higher purity however, the addition of hplc methodologies allows for pure peptide products from SPPS as well. 

Enzymatic hydrolysis is also used for the preparation of L-amino acids. Racemic D- and L-amino acids and their acyl-derivatives obtained chemically can be resolved enzymatically to yield their natural L-forms. Aminoacylases such as that from Pispergillus OTj e specifically hydrolyze L-enantiomers of acyl-DL-amino acids. The resulting L-amino acid can be separated readily from the unchanged acyl-D form which is racemized and subjected to further hydrolysis. Several L-amino acids, eg, methionine [63-68-3], phenylalanine [63-91-2], tryptophan [73-22-3], and valine [72-18-4] have been manufactured by this process in Japan and production costs have been reduced by 40% through the appHcation of immobilized cell technology (75). Cyclohexane chloride, which is a by-product in nylon manufacture, is chemically converted to DL-amino-S-caprolactam [105-60-2] (23) which is resolved and/or racemized to (24)... 

Both pure L- and D-amino acids can be made using hydantoinase enzymes. These enzymes catalyze the stereoselective hydrolysis of racemic hydantoins such as (50) which is used for the production of D-alanine (15) (58). 

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. 

This procedure is restricted mainly to aminodicarboxyhc acids or diaminocarboxyhc acids. In the case of neutral amino acids, the amino group or carboxyl group must be protected, eg, by A/-acylation, esterification, or amidation. This protection of the racemic amino acid and deprotection of the separated enantiomers add stages to the overall process. Furthermore, this procedure requires a stoichiometric quantity of the resolving agent, which is then difficult to recover efficiendy. Practical examples of resolution by this method have been pubUshed (50,51). 

Enzymatic Method. L-Amino acids can be produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of chemically synthesized DL-amino acids or derivatives such as esters, hydantoins, carbamates, amides, and acylates (24). The enzyme which hydrolyzes the L-isomer specifically has been found in microbial sources. The resulting L-amino acid is isolated through routine chemical or physical processes. The D-isomer which remains unchanged is racemized chemically or enzymatically and the process is recycled. Conversely, enzymes which act specifically on D-isomers have been found. Thus various D-amino acids have been... 

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),... 

Enzymatic hydrolysis of A/-acylamino acids by amino acylase and amino acid esters by Hpase or carboxy esterase (70) is one kind of kinetic resolution. Kinetic resolution is found in chemical synthesis such as by epoxidation of racemic allyl alcohol and asymmetric hydrogenation (71). New routes for amino acid manufacturing are anticipated. 

DL-Alanine is the first amino acid which was synthesi2ed chemically (138). Glycine and DL-methionine have also been suppHed by this method (20). However, amino acids formed by the chemical method are racemic, and it is necessary to resolve the mixture to get the L- or D-form amino acid which is usually demanded. 

Racemization also occurs in the presence of microbial racemase. As for other amino acids, the racemase that is specific for glutamic acid is found in... 

Resolution of Racemic Amines and Amino Acids. Acylases (EC3.5.1.14) are the most commonly used enzymes for the resolution of amino acids. Porcine kidney acylase (PKA) and the fungaly3.spet i//us acylase (AA) are commercially available, inexpensive, and stable. They have broad substrate specificity and hydrolyze a wide spectmm of natural and unnatural A/-acyl amino acids, with exceptionally high enantioselectivity in almost all cases. Moreover, theU enantioselectivity is exceptionally good with most substrates. A general paper on this subject has been pubUshed (106) in which the resolution of over 50 A/-acyl amino acids and analogues is described. Also reported are the stabiUties of the enzymes and the effect of different acyl groups on the rate and selectivity of enzymatic hydrolysis. Some of the substrates that are easily resolved on 10—100 g scale are presented in Figure 4 (106). Lipases are also used for the resolution of A/-acylated amino acids but the rates and optical purities are usually low (107). 

Amino alcohols can be resolved by a number of pathways including hydrolysis, esterification, and transesterification. For example, hydrolysis of Ai,0-diacet5l-2-amino-l-butanol with PPL followed by recrystallization results in (80a) with 95% ee (108). Hydrolysis of racemic acetates or butyrates of 2-[(aLkoxycarbonyl)amino]-l-aLkanols with PFL gives (R)-alcohol (81) with 95% ee (109). (3)-(81) can be obtained by transesterification of the racemic (81) with ethyl acetate which also serves as the reaction medium (109). 

The original commercial source of E was extraction from bovine adrenal glands (5). This was replaced by a synthetic route for E and NE (Eig. 1) similar to the original pubHshed route of synthesis (6). Eriedel-Crafts acylation of catechol [120-80-9] with chloroacetyl chloride yields chloroacetocatechol [99-40-1]. Displacement of the chlorine by methylamine yields the methylamine derivative, adrenalone [99-45-6] which on catalytic reduction yields (+)-epinephrine [329-65-7]. Substitution of ammonia for methylamine in the sequence yields the amino derivative noradrenalone [499-61-6] which on reduction yields (+)-norepinephrine [138-65-8]. The racemic compounds were resolved with (+)-tartaric acid to give the physiologically active (—)-enantiomers. The commercial synthesis of E and related compounds has been reviewed (27). The synthetic route for L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine [59-92-7] (l-DOPA) has been described (28). 

A -Nitroso derivatives, prepared from secondary amines and nitrous acid, are cleaved by reduction (H2/Raney Ni, EtOH, 28°, 3.5 h CuCl/concd. HCl"). Since many V-nitroso compounds are carcinogens, and because some racemization and cyclodehydration of V-nitroso derivatives of V-alkyl amino acids occur during peptide syntheses, V-nitroso derivatives are of limited value as protective groups. 

Amino acid racemization (Section 27.2) A method for dating archeological samples based on the rate at which the stereochemistry at the a carbon of amino acid components is randomized. It is useful for samples too old to be reliably dated by decay. 

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