Carboxylic esters protonation site

These chelates are structurally similar to that postulated above for the metal ion-catalyzed hydrolysis of oj-amino esters the position of the protons in the transition state is different, but this is a completely arbitrary distinction. A further distinction is that the metal ion is facilitating attack in this instance not by a polarization of the substrate molecule, but rather by the positioning and fixation of the hydroxide ion at the reaction site. It is not clear which of these two representations—for the amino acid esters involving polarization or for the carboxylate esters involving fixation of the hydroxide ion—is the correct interpretation. It is conceivable that both are correct. A similar explanation will account for the large effect of calcium ions on the alkaline hydro ysis of acetylcitric and benzoyl-citric acids (53). 

A similar behavior is observed from competitive dissociations of protonated monoamides of maleic and fumaric acids which lead to the formation of [MH H2O] and [MH NH3] +, respectively. They are accompanied by the presence of NH, although the loss of water corresponds to the base peak from the Z stereochemistry but is of lower abundance from the E isomer. From fumarate monomethyl ester or monoamide, the major pathway for protonated molecule dissociation corresponds to the loss of XH as methanol or ammonia, respectively, which suggests that the modified carboxylic group is the preferred protonation site (Scheme 17.8). Consequently, the favorable loss of water from the Z isomers (not only for maleic acid, but also for the monoester and monoamide derivatives) indicates that the water loss rate constant, via 1,6-H" transfer, is much larger than that occurring from the E isomer which involves either 1,3-H" transfer (a symmetry forbidden process) or a multistep proton migration which is characterized by higher transition state level(s) (Scheme 17.8). 

Notice in the list of Lewis bases just given that some compounds, such as carboxylic acids, esters, and amides, have more than one atom ivith a lone pair of electrons and can therefore react at more than one site. Acetic acid, for example, can be protonated either on the doubly bonded oxygen atom or on the singly bonded oxygen atom. Reaction normally occurs only once in such instances, and the more stable of the two possible protonation products is formed. For acetic add, protonation by reaction with sulfuric acid occurs on... 

The active site contains two Zn2+ ions and one Mg2+ ion which are held by imidazole and carboxylate groups. The inorganic phosphate in an enzyme-product complex is bound to both zinc ions (Fig. 12-23). The Ser 102 side chain is above one Zn. In the enzyme-P intermediate it would be linked to the phospho group as an ester which would then be hydrolyzed, reversibly, by a water molecule bound to Zn.712 713a This water presumably dissociates to Zn+-OH and its bound hydroxyl ion carries out the displacement. This reaction may be preceded by a proton transfer to an oxygen atom of the phospho group.714... 

The structural analysis has been carried out right up to the recognition of molecular Level (i, 2). a-Chymotrypsin is poly(amino acid) consisting of 245 amino adds, having relatively deep grooves. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of carboxylic acid derivatives such as protein, simple amides, esters, etc. The active site is composed of aspartic add, Asp (102). .. histidine, His (57). .. serine, Ser (195), and the distances between Asp. .. His and His... Ser are 2.8 A and 3.0 A, respectively. Electronic structures of these moieties depend on the pH of the reaction system. In the range of pH > 7 at which a-chymotrypsin is active, —COO" of Asp attracts N4 proton in imidazolyl of His, and Nj in the imidazolyl of His attracts the proton in OH of Ser. It is called charge-relay system . 

As with peptide hydrolysis, several enzyme systems exist that catalyze carboxylic and phosphoric ester hydrolysis without the need for a metal ion. They generally involve a serine residue as the nucleophile in turn, serine may be activated by hydrogen-bond formation—or even proton abstraction—by other acid-base groups in the active site. The reaction proceeds to form an acyl- or phosphory 1-enzyme intermediate, which is then hydrolyzed with readdition of a proton to the serine oxygen. Mechanisms of this type have been proposed for chymotrypsin. In glucose-6-phosphatase the nucleophile has been proposed to be a histidine residue. ... 

With traditional P-blockers the P-receptor site interacts with either a protonated cationic nitrogen or an unprotonated nitrogen carrying bulky, lipoidal alkyl groups (e.g., /-butyl). The ester pro-drug here on hydrolysis will, of course, bear a very hydrophilic negatively charged carboxylate ion (COO-) that is unlikely to interact with the requisite receptor site and will therefore be essentially without effect. 

Glucose-phosphate isomerase is one of the best studied enzymes catalyzing the interconversion of aldo- and ketohexose phosphates. An active site carboxyl group is a possible candidate for the base catalyzing the intramolecular proton transfer reaction. The affinity label 1,2-anhydro-D-mannitol 6-phosphate (8) inactivates the enzyme by forming an ester linkage between C-l of the affinity label and an active site carboxyl of a glutamic acid residue (98). 

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