Aromatic chemical pathways

The chemical pathways leading to acid generation for both direct irradiation and photosensitization (both electron transfer and triplet mechanisms) are complex and at present not fully characterized. Radicals, cations, and radical cations aH have been proposed as reactive intermediates, with the latter two species beHeved to be sources of the photogenerated acid (Fig. 20) (53). In the case of electron-transfer photosensitization, aromatic radical cations (generated from the photosensitizer) are beHeved to be a proton source as weU (54). 

The complexity of the chemical pathways in these systems is due to the molecular complexity of the heavy feedstock rich in aromatic structures, heavy paraffins and S- and N-contairting molecules as well as the multi-component catalyst used. 

Shikimic acid pathway chemical pathway common in plants, bacteria, and fungi, where aromatic amino acids (e.g., tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine) are synthesized, thereby providing the parent compounds for the synthesis of the phenylpropanoid units in lignins. 

Carbon chemistry occurs most efficiently in circumstellar and diffuse interstellar clouds. The circumstellar envelopes of carbon-rich stars are the heart of the most complex carbon chemistry that is analogous to soot formation in candle flames or industrial smoke stacks (26). There is evidence that chemical pathways, similar to combustion processes on Earth, form benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and subsequently soot and complex aromatic networks under high temperature conditions in circumstellar regions (27,28). Molecular synthesis occurs in the circumstellar environment on timescales as short as several hundred years (29). Acetylene (C2H2) appears to be the... 

Richter, H. and Howard, J.B., Formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their growth to soot—a review of chemical reaction pathways, Prog. Energy Combust. Sci., 26,565,2000. 

Compared with monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the five-membered azaarenes, the pathways used for the degradation of pyridines are less uniform, and this is consistent with the differences in electronic structure and thereby their chemical reactivity. For pyridines, both hydroxylation and dioxygenation that is typical of aromatic compounds have been observed, although these are often accompanied by reduction of one or more of the double bonds in the pyridine ring. Examples are used to illustrate the metabolic possibilities. 

These enzymes catalyze a variety of oxidative reactions in natural product biosynthesis with two C—Hhydroxylation examples shown in Figure 13.24 [72,73]. It should be noted thatC—H activation by nonheme iron oxygenases, such as aromatic dioxygenases, is an important pathway in degradation of aromatics into m-dibydrodiols, which are important chiral building blocks for chemical synthesis [74,75]. 

The repertoire of chemicals that can be used for communication is limited by the biosynthetic ability of the insect. Compared to other insect orders, pheromone biosynthesis in Hymenoptera has received little study [191]. However, the biosynthetic origins of chemically diverse hymenopteran semiochemicals likely include aromatic, fatty acid, and terpenoid pathways as well as simple modifications of host-derived precursors. Notable recent studies include the biosynthesis of the fatty acid components (2 )-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid 52 and (2 )-9-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid of the honeybee queen mandibular pheromone from octadecanoic acid [192,193], and the aliphatic alcohol and ester... 

Trivially, photo-excitation will drastically enhance the oxidation potential of the flavin chromophore and might give rise to a great variety of reversible chemical reactions, depending on the structure of the environment and/or the pathway of potential e - as well as H -conductivity. It must be emphasized, that the oxidative action of the flavin triplet Tj is by no means confined to 1 e -uptake from suitable aromatic... 

Recently, a new polyketide biosynthetic pathway in bacteria that parallels the well studied plant PKSs has been discovered that can assemble small aromatic metabolites.8,9 These type III PKSs10 are members of the chalcone synthase (CHS) and stilbene synthase (STS) family of PKSs previously thought to be restricted to plants.11 The best studied type III PKS is CHS. Physiologically, CHS catalyzes the biosynthesis of 4,2, 4, 6 -tetrahydroxychalcone (chalcone). Moreover, in some organisms CHS works in concert with chalcone reductase (CHR) to produce 4,2 ,4 -trihydroxychalcone (deoxychalcone) (Fig. 12.1). Both natural products constitute plant secondary metabolites that are used as precursors for the biosynthesis of anthocyanin pigments, anti-microbial phytoalexins, and chemical inducers of Rhizobium nodulation genes.12... 

The enzyme can also catalyze the transfer of an acetyl group from an N-acetylated hydroxylamine (hydroxamic acid) to form an acetoxy product, i.e., an N to O transacetylation and this pathway does not require acetyl Co-A (12). A-hydroxy-4-acetylaminobiphenyl provides an example of this conversion as shown in Figure 7.7. The significance of this pathway is that it leads to the activation of the hydroxamic acid because acetoxy derivatives of aromatic amines are chemically reactive and many are carcinogens such as the heterocyclic amines formed when meat is heated to a high temperature, e.g., 2-amino-1-mcthyl-6-phenylirnidaz()[4,5-i ]pyri(linc. 

The UV-visible absorption and emission spectra and excited state lifetimes of polymers are sensitive to chemical structure, polymer conformation and molecular environment and thus information concerning these properties is accessible by electronic spectroscopy measurements (4-6). One example of the application of such measurements is given in Figure 3 which illustrates the possible energy dissipation pathways which can occur in a polymer containing aromatic side groups following absorption of radiation. 

---