Hydantoin hydrolysis

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. 

R. Rai, V. Taneja, Papain Catalysed Hydantoin Hydrolysis in the Synthesis of Amino Acids Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1998, 244, 889-892. 

Many kinds of enzymes with different substrate specificities are involved in hydantoin hydrolysis. Ogawa et al. [10] found two hydantoin-hydrolyzing enzymes in Blastobacter sp. A17p-4. These enzymes were purified to homogeneity and characterized (Table 1). One hydrolyzed dihydropyrimidines and 5-monosubstituted hydantoins to the corresponding AT-carbamoyl amino acids. Since the hydrolysis of 5-substituted hydantoins by this enzyme was D-stereo-specific, this enzyme was identified as D-hydantoinase, which is identical with dihydropyrimidinase. The other one preferably hydrolyzed cyclic imide compounds such as glutarimide and succinimide more than cyclic ureide compounds such as dihydrouracil and hydantoin. Because there have been no reports on enzymes which show same substrate specificity as this enzyme, it is considered to be a novel enzyme, which should be called imidase [10]. 

Above all, various kinds of enzymes have been found to be concerned in hydantoin hydrolysis (Fig. 2). 

Hofmann exhaustive methylation, 43 Hydantoins, hydrolysis, 437 preparation, 437... 

This assay principle has been successfully developed also to monitor enzymatic reactions that involve various types of ester [9,29,30] and hydantoin hydrolysis [30a], phosphoryl transfer [31], nucleotidyl transfer [32] and glycosyltransfer [33, 34], as well as decarboxylation reactions [35]. The advantages of pH-based assay methods are obvious pH indicators are inexpensive reagents, no auxiliary enzymes are required, initial reaction rates can be monitored continuously in real time, and the reaction principle should be easily adaptable for HTS in microtiter plate format. 

G.F. Matcher, S.G. Burton, R.A. Dorrington, Mutational analysis of the hydantoin hydrolysis pathway in Pseudomonas putida RU-KM3S, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 65 (2004) 391-400. 

Hydantoin hydrolysis Hydantoinase with or DL-5-Monosubstituted hydantoins + + D-p-Hydroxyphenylglycine... 

Hydantoins can react with electrophiles at both nitrogen atoms and at C-5. The electrophilic carbonyl groups can be attacked by nucleophiles, leading to hydrolysis of the ring or to partial or total reduction of the carbonyl system. Other reactions are possible, including photochemical cleavage of the ring. 

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. 

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... 

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]. 

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... 

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)... 

It has been found that the tris(tert-butyloxycarbonyl) protected hydantoin of 4-piperidone 2, selectively hydrolyses in alkali to yield the N-tert-butyloxycarbonylated piperidine amino acid 3. The hydrolysis, which is performed in a biphasic mixture of THF and 2.0M KOH at room temperature, cleanly partitions the deprotonated 4-amino-N -(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)piperidine-4-carboxylic acid into the aqueous phase of the reaction with minimal contamination of the hydrolysis product, di-tert-butyl iminodicarboxylate, which partitions into the THF layer. Upon neutralization of the aqueous phase with aqueous hydrochloric acid, the zwitterion of the amino acid is isolated. The Bolin procedure to introduce the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl protecting group efficiently produces 4.8 This synthesis is a significant improvement over the previously described method9 where the final protection step was complicated by contamination of the hydrolysis side-product, di-tert-butyl iminodicarboxylate, which is very difficult to separate from 4, even by chromatographic means. 

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]. 

Another approach for the synthesis of enantiopure amino acids or amino alcohols is the enantioselective enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of hydantoins. As discussed above, hydantoins are very easily racemized in weak alkaline solutions via keto enol tautomerism. Sugai et al. have reported the DKR of the hydantoin prepared from DL-phenylalanine. DKR took place smoothly by the use of D-hydantoinase at a pH of 9 employing a borate buffer (Figure 4.17) [42]. 

Racemic hydantoins result from the reaction of carbonyl compounds with potassium cyanide and ammonium carbonate or the reaction of the corresponding cyanohydrins with ammonium carbonate (Bucherer-Bergs reaction). Hydantoins racemize readily under basic conditions or in the presence of hydantoin racemase, thus allowing DKR (Figure 6.43). Hydantoinases (EC 3.5.2.2), either isolated enzymes or whole microorganisms, catalyze the hydrolysis of five-substituted... 

In many cases, the racemization of a substrate required for DKR is difficult As an example, the production of optically pure cc-amino acids, which are used as intermediates for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and as chiral synfhons in organic chemistry [31], may be discussed. One of the important methods of the synthesis of amino acids is the hydrolysis of the appropriate hydantoins. Racemic 5-substituted hydantoins 15 are easily available from aldehydes using a commonly known synthetic procedure (Scheme 5.10) [32]. In the next step, they are enantioselectively hydrolyzed by d- or L-specific hydantoinase and the resulting N-carbamoyl amino acids 16 are hydrolyzed to optically pure a-amino acid 17 by other enzymes, namely, L- or D-specific carbamoylase. This process was introduced in the 1970s for the production of L-amino acids 17 [33]. For many substrates, the racemization process is too slow and in order to increase its rate enzymes called racemases are used. In processes the three enzymes, racemase, hydantoinase, and carbamoylase, can be used simultaneously this enables the production of a-amino acids without isolation of intermediates and increases the yield and productivity. Unfortunately, the commercial application of this process is limited because it is based on L-selective hydantoin-hydrolyzing enzymes [34, 35]. For production of D-amino acid the enzymes of opposite stereoselectivity are required. A recent study indicates that the inversion of enantioselectivity of hydantoinase, the key enzyme in the... 

In an attempt to form orally active penicillins unrelated to ampicillin, use was made of the fact that certain spiro a-aminoacids, such as 9, are well absorbed orally and transported like normal amino acids. Reaction of cyclohexanone with ammonium carbonate and KCN under the conditions of the Bucherer-Bergs reaction led to hydantoin 10. On acid hydrolysis, a-amino acid 11 resulted. Treatment with phosgene... 

Kanegafuchi Chemical Industries produce D-p-hydroxyphenyl glycine, which is a key raw material for the semisynthetic penicillins ampicillin and amoxycillin. Here, an enantioselective hydantoinase is applied to convert the hydantoin to the D-p-hydroxyphenyl glycine. The quantitative conversion of the amide hydrolysis is achieved because of the in situ racemization of the unreacted hydantoins. Under the conditions of enzymatic hydrolysis, the starting material readily racemizes. Therefore, this process enables the stereospecific preparation of various amino acids at a conversion of 100% [38]. 

Pietzsch, M. and Syldatk, C. (2002) Hydrolysis and formation of hydantoins, in Enzyme Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, 2nd edn (eds K. Drauz and H. Waldmann), Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, pp. 761-799. 

It has been shown recently that papain exhibits hydantoinase activity. This enzyme of plant origin hydrolyzes not only 5-monosubstituted but also 5,5-disubstituted hydantoins to the corresponding N-carbamoylamino acids. Since chemical hydrolysis of the latter yields the corresponding amino acids, this approach may be of interest in amino acid synthesis [145],... 

A conceptually similar approach applied in an industrial process is described by the Bristol—Myers—Squibb group, who required l-6-OH norleucine as an intermediate in the synthesis of their drug Omapatrilat. T o avoid a lengthy chemical synthesis of the oxoacid, it was more convenient to start with the racemic amino acid, readily prepared by hydrolysis of the corresponding hydantoin (Equation (2)), and remove the D-isomer by oxidation using d-AAO. 

This enzyme [EC 3.5.2.2], also called hydantoinase, catalyzes the hydrolysis of 5,6-dihydrouracil to produce 3-ureidopropionate. The enzyme can also utiUze dihydrothymine and hydantoin as substrates. 

Methods of synthesis of levodopa from vanillin [8-14] have been suggested. According to one of them, condensation of vanillin with hydantoin and the subsequent reduction of the double bond in the formed product (10.1.4), after hydrolysis, gives racemic DOPA from which levodopa is isolated [8]. 

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