Amino acids chirality

Glycine is the simplest anino acid and the only one in Table 27.1 that is achiral. The a-carbon atom is a chirality center in all the others. Configurations in amino acids are normally specified by the d, l notational system. All the chiral amino acids obtained from proteins have the l configuration at their- a-carbon atom, meaning that the amine group is at the left when a Fischer projection is arianged so the carboxyl group is at the top. 

L-Amino acid (Section 27.2) A description of the stereochemistry at the a-carbon atom of a chiral amino acid. The Fischer projection of an a-amino acid has the amino group on the left when the carbon chain is vertical with the carboxyl group at the top. 

Small chiral molecules. These CSPs were introduced by Pirkle about two decades ago [31, 32]. The original brush -phases included selectors that contained a chiral amino acid moiety carrying aromatic 7t-electron acceptor or tt-electron donor functionality attached to porous silica beads. In addition to the amino acids, a large variety of other chiral scaffolds such as 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexanes [33] and cinchona alkaloids [34] have also been used for the preparation of various brush CSPs. 

Substituted conjugated Ester Chiral amino acid... 

Hydantoinases belong to the E.C.3.5.2 group of cyclic amidases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of hydantoins [4,54]. As synthetic hydantoins are readily accessible by a variety of chemical syntheses, including Strecker reactions, enantioselective hydantoinase-catalyzed hydrolysis offers an attractive and general route to chiral amino acid derivatives. Moreover, hydantoins are easily racemized chemically or enzymatically by appropriate racemases, so that dynamic kinetic resolution with potential 100% conversion and complete enantioselectivity is theoretically possible. Indeed, a number of such cases using WT hydantoinases have been reported [54]. However, if asymmetric induction is poor or ifinversion ofenantioselectivity is desired, directed evolution can come to the rescue. Such a case has been reported, specifically in the production of i-methionine in a whole-cell system ( . coli) (Figure 2.13) [55]. 

Figure 33 The cyclo(Adm-Cyst)3 adopts a figure-eight-like helical structure. The chiral amino acid, cystine, configuration determines the helix disposition (rigjit-handed or left-handed helix). Adamantane plays an important role as a ring size controlling agent. Taken from Ref. [163] with permission.

Miniaturized columns have provided a decisive advantage in speed. Uracil, phenol, and benzyl alcohol were separated in 20 seconds by CEC in an 18 mm column with a propyl reversed phase.29 A19 cm electrophoretic channel was etched into a glass wafer, filled with a y-cyclodextrin buffer, and used to resolve chiral amino acids from a meteorite in 4 minutes.30 A 6 cm channel equipped with a syringe pump to automate sample derivatization was used to separate amino acids modified with fluorescein isothiocyanate.31 Nanovials have been used to perform tryptic digests on the 15 nL scale for subsequent separation on capillary Electrophoresis.32 A microcolumn has also been used to generate fractions representing time-points of digestion from a 40 pL sample.33 A disposable nanoelectrospray emitter has been... 

Phenylthiocarbamoyl derivatives of 18 chiral amino acids were separated on a C8 column connected in series to a phenylcarbamoylated (3-cyclodextrin column (Iida et al., 1997). The Cg column separated the derivatized amino acids from one another entering the chiral column. Under this configuration several enantiomers of adjacent amino acids coeluted resulting in poor resolution. However, this configuration was successful in determining the amino acid sequence and chirality of the amino acids in a D-amino acid containing peptide. 

Laboratory data from two groups (see Sect. 3.2.4) indicate that chiral amino acid structures can be formed in simulations of the conditions present in interstellar space. The experimental results support the assumption that important asymmetrical reactions could have taken place on interstellar ice particles irradiated with circularly polarised UV light. The question as to whether such material was ever transported to the young Earth remains open. But the Rosetta mission may provide important answers on the problem of asymmetric syntheses of biomolecules under cosmic conditions (Meierhenrich and Thiemann, 2004). 

The topical homochirality problem is presently being investigated in several research laboratories across the world. One new object of study is systems with eutectic mixtures. The addition of chiral dicarboxylic acids that co-crystallise with chiral amino acids to aqueous mixtures of d- and L-amino acids allows tuning of the eutectic composition of the amino acids in several cases, these systems yield new eutectic compositions of 98% ee or higher. Thus, solid mixed crystals with a ratio... 

Fig. 4.23 Preparation of mesoporous silica materials with chirally twisted rod-like structures by using surfactant with a chiral amino acid moiety as a structure-directing reagent.

To carry out 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with alkyl acrylates, nitrones of various structures such as ferrocenylnitrones (141), nitrones derived from chiral amino acids (210), L-serine-derived nitrones (660) and N -substituted C -phosphorylated nitrones (263) have been used. 

Chiral stationary phases for the separation of enantiomers (optically active isomers) are becoming increasingly important. Among the first types to be synthesized were chiral amino acids ionically or covalently bound to amino-propyl silica and named Pirkle phases after their originator. The ionic form is susceptable to hydrolysis and can be used only in normal phase HPLC whereas the more stable covalent type can be used in reverse phase separations but is less stereoselective. Polymeric phases based on chiral peptides such as bovine serum albumin or a -acid glycoproteins bonded to... 

The asymmetric hydrogenation of enol esters can also be catalyzed by chiral amidophosphine phosphinite catalysts derived from chiral amino acids, but the enantioselectivity of these reactions has thus far been only moderate.35... 

Figure 5. Top Tetraurea calixarene monomers 37 and 38 bearing chiral amino acid ester residues (isoleucine and valine methyl esters, respectively) attached to the urea functions. Norcamphor 39 was the chiral guest used to detect the chirality transfer from the outside to the inner cavity.

Anions and uncharged analytes tend to spend more time in the buffered solution and as a result their movement relates to this. While these are useful generalizations, various factors contribute to the migration order of the analytes. These include the anionic or cationic nature of the surfactant, the influence of electroendosmosis, the properties of the buffer, the contributions of electrostatic versus hydrophobic interactions and the electrophoretic mobility of the native analyte. In addition, organic modifiers, e.g. methanol, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran are used to enhance separations and these increase the affinity of the more hydrophobic analytes for the liquid rather than the micellar phase. The effect of chirality of the analyte on its interaction with the micelles is utilized to separate enantiomers that either are already present in a sample or have been chemically produced. Such pre-capillary derivatization has been used to produce chiral amino acids for capillary electrophoresis. An alternative approach to chiral separations is the incorporation of additives such as cyclodextrins in the buffer solution. 

A diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal diamines has been described79. The aldehydes 56 derived from chiral amino acids 55 were converted into the A-benzylimines 57 and the latter were treated with organometallic reagents R2M in the presence of cerium(III)... 

Table 2 Resolution factors of N(0)-pentafluoropropio-nyl derivatives of chiral compounds on polysiloxanes carrying different chiral amino acid residues.

A major advantage that nonenzymic chiral catalysts might have over enzymes, then, is their potential ability to accept substrates of different structures by contrast, an enzyme will select only its substrate from a mixture. Striking examples are the chiral phosphine-rhodium catalysts, which catalyze die hydrogenation of double bonds to produce chiral amino acids (10-12), and the titanium isopropoxide-tartrate complex of Sharpless (11,13,14), which catalyzes the epoxidation of numerous allylic alcohols. Since the enantiomeric purities of the products from these reactions are exceedingly high (>90%), we might conclude... 

S-M-H]+/[S2-H]+ ratios from CID of various mixtures of chiral amino acids are reported in Table 8. 

In 1988 Kunz and Pfrengle introduced the preparation of chiral amino acid derivatives by the U-4CR in the presence of 2,3,4,6-tetra-6)-pivaloyl- 3-D-galacto-pyranosylamine, 57, in the presence of ZnCl2-etherate as catalyst. They obtained excellent stereoselectivity and high yields of their products. One of the disadvantages of such U-4CRs is that only formic acid can be used as the acid component, and the auxiliary group of the products can only be removed by half-concentrated hot methanolic HCl. 

The chiral distinction capability of cinchonan carbamate CSPs for underivatized amino acids has not been fully elucidated yet, in contrast to the large embodiment of A-acylated and A-arylated amino acid derivatives vide infra). However, it seems that chiral amino acids can be successfully resolved into enantiomers if the amino acid side chain R residue) contains a functionality that represents a strongly interactive binding site with the selector such as an extended aromatic ring system like in thyroxin (T4). 

Petritis, K. et al., Simultaneous analysis of underivatized chiral amino acids by liquid chromatography—ionspray tandem mass spectrometry using a teicoplanin chiral stationary phase, J. Chromatogr. A, 913, 331, 2001. 

A chiral amino-acid/copper complex is bound to a silica- or polymeric stationary phase and copper ions are included in the mobile phase to ensure there is no loss of copper. Amino acids then may be separated by the formation of diastereomeric copper complexes. Water stabilizes the complex by coordinating in an axial position. Steric factors then determine which of the two complexes is more stable. One of the water molecules is usually sterically hindered from coordinating with the copper. i ... 

Most of the applications so far focus on the production of the chiral amino acid as the end product. Conversion of the chiral amino acid into the prochiral oxoacid as the end product is less common, although, for instance, Odman etal describe the use of GDH to convert L-glutamate into the higher-value 2-oxoglutarate. Similarly, Findrik et al describe in some detail the kinetics of quantitative conversion of L-methionine into 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid. In view of the relatively unfavorable equilibrium for amino acid oxidation, thermodynamic and kinetic considerations have to be carefully balanced. A high pH favors oxidative deamination, and fortunately also the PheDH has an unusually high pH optimum, above 10. However, this in itself will not secure... 

Here is an important point almost all chiral amino acids that occur naturally in proteins throughout all of nature have L-stereochemistry. Why has nature uniquely selected L-amino acids for the construction of proteins No one knows for sure. In passing, we note that D-amino acids do occur in some living systems. The cell walls of bacteria possess both d- and L-amino acids, for example. However, these are introduced in a manner distinct from that employed to synthesize proteins. 

Reaction with all kinds of alkylamines and arylamines and with amino acid esters easily leads to replacement of the N-NO2 group. As can be expected, when chiral amino acid esters are used as reagents, the reaction occurs with retention of the configuration (Scheme III.30). See also the discussion on similar reactions with A-nitroimidazoles in Section III,A,5. 

It was now important to again examine the biological activity of the enantiomers in this series. These were prepared using the chiral amino acids and the activity of these compounds particularly when compared to the benzoate analogs is striking. 

---