Catalysis ester cleavage

IV. CATALYSIS OF ESTER CLEAVAGE BY POLYETHYLENIMINES WITH ATTACHED IMIDAZOLE GROUPS... 

Calixcrown 5, featuring two diethylaminomethyl side-arms at the polyether bridge, testifies an attempt at a higher order multifunctional catalysis of ester cleavage, namely, from nucleophilic-electrophilic to nucleophilic-electrophilic-general acid catalysis [20]. 

Cacciapaglia, R. and Mandolini, L. (1996) Alkaline-Earth Metal Ion Catalysis of Ester Cleavage in Molecular Design and Bioorganic Catalysis, NATO AS Series, (eds... 

R. Cacciapaglia, A. Casnati, L. Mandolini, D. N. Reinhoudt, R. Salvio, A. Sartori, R. Ungaro, Di- and trinuclear arrangements of zinc(II)-l,5,9-triazacyclododecane units on the cahx[4]arene scaffold efficiency and substrate selectivity in the catalysis of ester cleavage, Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2007, 360, 981-986. 

Another type of bond that is ubiquitous in nature is phosphodiester bond making up the backbone of DNA or RNA. Enzymes can use more than one amino acid side chain in their active side for simultaneous bifimctional or multifunctional catalysis. Often an add-base catalyst is formed as in the enzyme ribonuclease A. The natural enzyme consists of 124 amino acids and catalyzes the hydrolysis of RNA phosphodiester bonds between the phosphorous atom and the 5 -oxygen atom. The mechanism of ester cleavage proceeds via a 2, 3 cyclo-phosphate intermediate. The histidine 119 and 12 function as acid and base to catalyze the formation of the cyclic intermediate while the lysine stabilizes the pentacoordinated transition state. The hydrolysis of the cyclic intermediate is then again catalyzed by both histidine residues (Figure 26). ... 

Poly(L-malate) decomposes spontaneously to L-ma-late by ester hydrolysis [2,4,5]. Hydrolytic degradation of the polymer sodium salt at pH 7.0 and 37°C results in a random cleavage of the polymer, the molecular mass decreasing by 50% after a period of 10 h [2]. The rate of hydrolysis is accelerated in acidic and alkaline solutions. This was first noted by changes in the activity of the polymer to inhibit DNA polymerase a of P. polycephalum [4]. The explanation of this phenomenon was that the degradation was slowest between pH 5-9 (Fig. 2) as would be expected if it were acid/base-catalyzed. In choosing a buffer, one should be aware of specific buffer catalysis. We found that the polymer was more stable in phosphate buffer than in Tris/HCl-buffer. 

Sulfonyl chlorides as well as esters and amides of sulfonic acids can be hydrolyzed to the corresponding acids. Sulfonyl chlorides can by hydrolyzed with water or with an alcohol in the absence of acid or base. Basic catalysis is also used, though of course the salt is the product obtained. Esters are readily hydrolyzed, many with water or dilute alkali. This is the same reaction as 10-4, and usually involves R —0 cleavage, except when R is aryl. However, in some cases retention of configuration... 

Both schemes accommodate the kinetics, the primary isotope effect and the induction factor, which indicates that Cr(IV) is the initial stage of reduction of the oxidant. RoCek s mechanism does not accord with the solvent isotope effect of 2.5 per proton, which has just the value to be expected for acid-catalysis, for the O-H bond cleavage should be subject to a primary isotope effect of about 7. The ester mechanism is not open to this criticim. 

Obviously, in such cases the CD is acting as a true catalyst in esterolysis. The basic cleavage of trifluoroethyl p-nitrobenzoate by a-CD occurs by both pathways approximately 20% by nucleophilic attack and approximately 80% by general base catalysis (GBC) (Komiyama and Inoue, 1980c). The two processes are discernible because only the former leads to the observable p-nitrobenzoyl-CD. For the ester, Ks = 3.4 mM and kjka = 4.4 for the GBC route (1.25 for the nucleophilic route), and so KTS = 0.77 mM. For reaction within the ester CD complex [28], it was estimated that the effective molarity of the CD hydroxyl anion was 21-210 m (for Br0nsted /3 = 0.4 to 0.6 for GBC). Such values are quite reasonable for intramolecular general base catalysis (Kirby, 1980). 

The term acid catalysis is often taken to mean proton catalysis ( specific acid catalysis ) in contrast to general acid catalysis. In this sense, acid-catalyzed hydrolysis begins with protonation of the carbonyl O-atom, which renders the carbonyl C-atom more susceptible to nucleophilic attack. The reaction continues as depicted in Fig. 7. l.a (Pathway a) with hydration of the car-bonium ion to form a tetrahedral intermediate. This is followed by acyl cleavage (heterolytic cleavage of the acyl-0 bond). Pathway b presents an mechanism that can be observed in the presence of concentrated inorganic acids, but which appears irrelevant to hydrolysis under physiological conditions. The same is true for another mechanism of alkyl cleavage not shown in Fig. 7.Fa. All mechanisms of proton-catalyzed ester hydrolysis are reversible. 

Fig. 7.1. a) Specific acid catalysis (proton catalysis) with acyl cleavage in ester hydrolysis. Pathway a is the common mechanism involving a tetrahedral intermediate. Pathway b is SN1 mechanism observed in the presence of concentrated inorganic acids. Not shown here is a mechanism of alkyl cleavage, which can also be observed in the presence of concentrated inorganic acids, b) Schematic mechanism of general acid catalysis in ester hydrolysis. 

Fig. 7.2. a) The most common mechanism of base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis, namely specific base catalysis (HCT catalysis) with tetrahedral intermediate and acyl cleavage. Not shown here are an W mechanism with alkyl cleavage observed with some tertiary alkyl esters, and an 5n2 mechanism with alkyl cleavage sometimes observed with primary alkyl esters, particularly methyl esters, b) Schematic mechanism of general base catalysis in ester hydrolysis. Intermolecular catalysis (bl) and intramolecular catalysis (b2). c) The base-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters is but a particular case of nucleophilic attack. Intermolecular (cl) and intramolecular (c2). d) Spontaneous (uncatalyzed) hydrolysis. This becomes possible when the R moiety is... 

Fig. 8.20. Two-step activation ofN-[(acyloxy)methyl] prodrugs, a) Cleavage of the ester bond, which may be enzymatic and/or nonenzymatic, is followed by decomposition of the N-(hy-droxymethyl) intermediate, b) For (V-(hydroxymethyl) derivatives of amides and imides, the decomposition is base-catalyzed, c) For N-(hydroxymethyl) derivatives of amines, the decomposition can be uncatalyzed or undergo acid or base catalysis (modified from [214]).

---