From amide group with sulfur

The biochemical basis for the toxicity of mercury and mercury compounds results from its ability to form covalent bonds readily with sulfur. Prior to reaction with sulfur, however, the mercury must be metabolized to the divalent cation. When the sulfur is in the form of a sulfhydryl (— SH) group, divalent mercury replaces the hydrogen atom to form mercaptides, X—Hg— SR and Hg(SR)2, where X is an electronegative radical and R is protein (36). Sulfhydryl compounds are called mercaptans because of their ability to capture mercury. Even in low concentrations divalent mercury is capable of inactivating sulfhydryl enzymes and thus causes interference with cellular metaboHsm and function (31—34). Mercury also combines with other ligands of physiological importance such as phosphoryl, carboxyl, amide, and amine groups. It is unclear whether these latter interactions contribute to its toxicity (31,36). 

Surfactants are prepared which contain carboxylic acid ester or amide chains and terminal acid groups selected from phosphoric acid, carboxymethyl, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, and phosphonic acid. These surfactants can be obtained by reaction of phosphoric acid or phosphorus pentoxide with polyhydroxystearic acid or polycaprolactone at 180-190°C under an inert gas. They are useful as polymerization catalysts and as dispersing agents for fuel, diesel, and paraffin oils [69]. 

Enantiomeric recognition was clearly displayed in films spread from solution and films in equilibrium with their crystals, and was sharply dependent on the acidity of the subphase. Protonation of the amide group appeared to be necessary for spreading to stable monolayers. For example, the crystals of the racemate deposited on a 10n H2S04 solution at 25°C spread quickly to yield a film with an ESP of 7.7 dyn cm"1, while the single enantiomers spread only to a surface pressure of 3.9 dyn cm-1 (Table 1). Similar effects are observed at 15 and 35°C. The effect of stereochemistry on equilibrium spreading is even more pronounced at lower subphase acidities. On 6n sulfuric acid, the racemate spread to an equilibrium surface pressure of 4.9 dyn cm-1, while the enantiomeric systems spread to less than 1 dyn cm-1. 

Pictet-Spengler cyclization of L-tryptophan with formaldehyde afforded the monochiral carboxylic acids 20a,b, whereas cyclization with acetaldehyde yielded the diastereomeric carboxylic acids 21a,b (23). Acids 20a,b with a hydrogen at C-1 are enantiomers, but acids 21a,b are diaste-reomers the cis isomer 21a was the major reaction product when the cyclization of L-tryptophan with acetaldehyde was carried out in the presence of sulfuric acid. Direct removal of the carboxy group in these acids is difficult, but it can be accomplished in several steps dehydration of the amides prepared from the acids with phosphorus oxychloride affords nitriles, and the nitrile group can be removed by reduction with sodium borohydride in pyridine-ethanol (31). 

Based on previous work with sulfur monochloride, a reaction pathway leading to 1,2,5-thiadiazole from sulfur monochloride was postulated. Reactions of sulfur monochloride indicate that the molecule can be polarized as C1SS +—Cl and in several instances compounds containing the chlorodithio group (CISS—) have been isolated. Chlorodithio compounds have also been postulated as intermediates in the reaction of aliphatic amides with sulfur monochloride leading to bisamidosulfides and in the Herz reaction. It has also been reported that under the conditions of the Herz reaction o-phenylenediamine is converted to 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole and in this case it appears that the intermediate iV -chlorodithio compound is cleaved at the S—S bond by nucleophilic attack by the ortho amino group, Eq. (1). A similar process was proposed for the formation of... 

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