Biological Activity and Mode of Toxic Action

The lower trialky Itin compounds are able to inhibit mitochondrial, oxidative phosphorylation (471,477) and, therefore, disrupt the funda- 

In the case of simple amino acids and dipeptides, esterification of the carboxyl groups occurs on heating in toluene with the appropriate bis(triorganotin) oxide or triorganotin hydroxide 481, 482), the water being removed azeotropically. 

The resulting derivatives, unlike most organotin carboxylates, are hydrolyzed relatively readily in air. An X-ray crystallographic study 399) showed that trimethyltin glycinate has an intermolecularly associated, polymeric structure, with bridging amino groups. 

In trimethyltin acetate, however, bridging occurs through the carboxy-late group (355), as described in Section III. An X-ray study of the di- 

On a macromolecular scale, trialkyltins are known to bind to a number of proteins (see Table III). 

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