Hydantoin acid

Fig. 7.11. Synthesis of racemic methionine by means of the Bucherer modification of the Strecker synthesis. The first step of the reaction does not stop at the stage the step of the a-aminonitrile but yields a hydantoin (B mechanistic details Figure 7.12). The second step—via the anion C of a hydantoin acid—leads to the formation of the anion E of methionine, which can be pro-tonated during workup to yield the uncharged methionine (D).

N -lsopropyl-Ureido] -Acetic Acid Azide (5-Iso-propyl-hydantoin acid azide). (CH3)2CH.NH.CO.NH.CH2.CO.N3 mw 185.22 N 37.82% OB to CO2 -133.89% mp ca 100° (deflagrates quickly when heated). Prepn is by reacting [N-isopropyl-ureido] -acetic acid-hydra-zide with Na nitrite dissolved in aq HCl Ref Beil 4, 1169 ... 

Supplement 1936 3458-3793 Picrolonic acid, 51. Hydantoin, 242. Uracil, 312. Indigo, 416. Barbituric j acid, 467. Alloxan, 500. ... 

Benzilic acid rearrangement Benzoin reaction (condensation) Blanc chloromethylation reaction Bouveault-Blanc reduction Bucherer hydantoin synthesis Bucherer reaction Cannizzaro reaction Claisen aldoi condensation Claisen condensation Claisen-Schmidt reaction. Clemmensen reduction Darzens glycidic ester condensation Diazoamino-aminoazo rearrangement Dieckmann reaction Diels-Alder reaction Doebner reaction Erlenmeyer azlactone synthesis Fischer indole synthesis Fischer-Speior esterification Friedel-Crafts reaction... 

In 1873, almost simultaneously, Maly (24), Volhard (38), and Nencki (42) studied the action of thiourea on chloroacetic acid. As mentioned previously, they believed the product to be the thioanalog of hydantoin and called it thiohydantoin with formula 34. 

Solvent variation can gready affect the acidity of hydantoins. Although two different standard states are employed for the piC scale and therefore care must be exercised when comparing absolute acidity constants measured in water and other solvents like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the huge difference in piC values, eg, 9.0 in water and 15.0 in DMSO (12) in the case of hydantoin itself, indicates that water provides a better stabilization for the hydantoin anion and hence an increased acidity when compared to DMSO. 

Thiohydantoin [503-87-7] (pi C 8.5) is a slightly stronger acid than hydantoin (pi C 9.0). 4-Thiohydantoins appear to be weaker acids (4). 

Mass spectral fragmentation patterns of alkyl and phenyl hydantoins have been investigated by means of labeling techniques (28—30), and similar studies have also been carried out for thiohydantoins (31,32). In all cases, breakdown of the hydantoin ring occurs by a-ftssion at C-4 with concomitant loss of carbon monoxide and an isocyanate molecule. In the case of aryl derivatives, the ease of formation of Ar—NCO is related to the electronic properties of the aryl ring substituents (33). Mass spectrometry has been used for identification of the phenylthiohydantoin derivatives formed from amino acids during peptide sequence determination by the Edman method (34). 

The imide proton N-3—H is more acidic than N-1—H and hence this position is more reactive toward electrophiles in a basic medium. Thus hydantoins can be selectively monoalkylated at N-3 by treatment with alkyl haUdes in the presence of alkoxides (2,4). The mono-A/-substituted derivatives (5) can be alkylated at N-1 under harsher conditions, involving the use of sodium hydride in dimethylform amide (35) to yield derivatives (6). Preparation of N-1 monoalkylated derivatives requires previous protection of the imide nitrogen as an aminomethyl derivative (36). Hydantoins with an increased acidity at N-1—H, such as 5-arylmethylene derivatives, can be easily monoalkylated at N-3, but dialkylation is also possible under mild conditions. 

Hydrolysis. Although hydantoins can be hydroly2ed under strongly acidic conditions, the most common method consists of heating ia an alkaline medium to give iatermediate ureido acids (the so-called hydantoic acids), which are finally hydroly2ed to a-amino acids. 

Miscellaneous Reactions. Some hydantoin derivatives can serve as precursors of carbonium—immonium electrophiles (57). 5-Alkoxyhydantoins are useful precursors of dienophiles (17), which undergo Diels-Alder cycloadditions under thermal conditions or in the presence of acid catalysis (58). The pyridine ring of Streptonigrine has been constmcted on the basis of this reaction (59). 

Synthesis from OC-Amino Acids and Related Compounds. Addition of cyanates, isocyanates, and uiea derivatives to a-amino acids yields hydantoin piecuisois. This method is called the Read synthesis (2), and can be considered as the reverse of hydantoin hydrolysis. Thus the reaction of a-amino acids with alkaline cyanates affords hydantoic acids, which cyclize to hydantoins in an acidic medium. 

In a modification of the original method. Read (60) replaced a-amino acids with a-amino nitriles. This reaction is sometimes known as Strecker hydantoin synthesis, the term referring to the reaction employed for the synthesis of the a-amino nitrile from an aldehyde or ketone. The cycli2ation intermediate (18) has been isolated in some cases (61), and is involved in a pH-controUed equiUbrium with the corresponding ureide. 

A related reaction sequence, which proceeds through a Curtius rearrangement, allows the transformation of a-cyano acids into hydantoins (66) ... 

Both pure L- and D-amino acids can be made using hydantoinase enzymes. These enzymes catalyze the stereoselective hydrolysis of racemic hydantoins such as (50) which is used for the production of D-alanine (15) (58). 

Enzymatic Method. L-Amino acids can be produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of chemically synthesized DL-amino acids or derivatives such as esters, hydantoins, carbamates, amides, and acylates (24). The enzyme which hydrolyzes the L-isomer specifically has been found in microbial sources. The resulting L-amino acid is isolated through routine chemical or physical processes. The D-isomer which remains unchanged is racemized chemically or enzymatically and the process is recycled. Conversely, enzymes which act specifically on D-isomers have been found. Thus various D-amino acids have been... 

D-alanine DL-alanine hydantoin D-hydantoinase + d-A- carbamylamino acid amidohydrolas Firth, crystallopoietes ... 

V-Bromosuccinimide and A/,A7-dibromo-5,5-dimethyIhydantoin have also been used successhdly, which makes possible recycling of succinimide or the hydantoin and utilizes all the bromine atoms. A mixture of sodium bromide—sodium bromate in aqueous acid has also been used commercially. 

The mixture of D and L optical forms of this hydroxy analogue of methionine is converted to the calcium salt which is used in animal feed supplements. Cyanohydrins react with ammonium carbonate to form hydantoins (2), which yield amino acids upon hydrolysis. Commercial DL-methionine [59-57-8] is produced by hydrolysis of the hydantoin of 3-meth5ithiopropionaldehyde [3268-49-3]. 

Amino acid synthesis from aldehydes and hydantoin (Bergmann), synthesis of serine derivatives (Erlenmeyer) or of y-hydroxyaminoacids (Plochl)... 

In at least one case, the standard Bucherer-Bergs conditions gave rise to oxazole rather hydantoin. Specifically, when 5-benzyloxy-pyridine-2-carbaldehyde (11) was treated with potassium cyanide, ammonium chloride, and ammonium carbonate in boiling ethanol/water, 5-amino-oxazol-2-ol 12 was obtained. Subsequent heating of oxazole 12 with acetic acid at reflux overnight then produced the Bucherer-Bergs product, hydantoin 13. ... 

The other most important synthetic utility of the Bucherer-Bergs reaction is the preparation of amino acids from the hydrolysis of hydantoins. When carbonyl 1 was symmetrical, the Henze modification gave hydantoin 2, which was then hydrolyzed to the... 

In summary, the Bucherer-Bergs reaction converts aldehydes or ketones to the corresponding hydantoins. It is often carried out by treating the carbonyl compounds with potassium cyanide and ammonium carbonate in 50% aqueous ethanol. The resulting hydantoins, often of pharmacological importance, may also serve as the intermediates for amino acid synthesis. 

The same authors elucidated the origin of allantoin from hy-droxonic acid on which the original hydantoin structure (5) was based and which was formulated as shown in Scheme 2. 

One of the earliest preparations of this ring system starts with displacement of the hydroxyl of benzaldehyde cyanohydrin (125) by urea. Treatment of the product (126) with hydrochloric acid leads to addition of the remaining urea nitrogen to the nitrile. There is thus obtained, after hydrolysis of the imine (127), the hydantoin (128). Alkylation by means of ethyl iodide affords ethotoin (129)... 

A slight excess of mineral acid, such as sulfuric or hydrochloric acid is added to acidify the mixture which is then chilled and the solid which separates is filtered off. It is then treated with an aqueous solution of dilute sodium hydroxide to dissolve the hydantoin from the solid unreacted benzophenone. After filtration, the alkaline extract is then acidified to cause the separation of solid pure diphenylhydantoin which is filtered off and dried. It melts at 293° to 296°C. 

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