Keto acids, esterification lactonization

Keto acids can be dehydrated to enol lactones (Section III,A,1). They may also undergo esterification with alcohols e.g., /V-methylhydrasteine (104) in methanol at room temperature gave the expected keto ester 126 (R + R = CH2, R1 = CH3) (5,87). Sodium borohydride reduction of keto acid 104 supplies the saturated y-lactone 132 identical with that obtained from enol lactone 98 (5). 

Reductive Esterification. Organosilane reductions of y- or 5-keto acids and esters provide the corresponding lactones as the final products (Eqs. 226 and 227).69,79,402... 

Lactones are cyclic compounds formed through the intramolecular esterification of a hydroxy fatty acid. 7-Lactones and 8-lactones, with fivesided and six-sided rings, respectively have been found in cheese (Jolly and Kosikowski, 1975 Wong et al., 1975 Collins et al., 2004). The origin of the precursor hydroxy fatty acids has been ascribed to a 8-oxidation system in the mammary gland of ruminants (see Fox et al., 2000), the reduction of keto acids (Wong et al., 1975) and/or the action of lipoxygenases and other enzymes present in members of the rumen microflora (Dufosse et al., 1994). Lactones have low flavor thresholds and while their aromas are not specifically cheese-like (their aromas have been described variously as peach, apricot and coconut ), they may contribute to the overall flavor of cheese (see Collins et al., 2004). 

The distribution of metabolites obtained after incubation of pineapple slices with keto acids and keto esters, potential precursors of the corresponding hydroxy compounds, is summarized in Table II. The metabolization steps comprise esterification, reduction to hydroxy compounds, formation of acetoxy esters, and cyclization to the corresponding lactones. Metabolization rate and distribution of formed products strongly depend on the structures of the precursors. The detection of these metabolites proves the enzymatic capability of pineapple tissue to catalyze these conversions, an aspect which might be interesting for future use of pineapple tissue cultures in the production of chiral compounds. 

In the event, iodolactonization of the carboxylate salt derived from the ester 458 afforded 459, and subsequent warming of the iodo lactone 459 with aqueous alkali generated an intermediate epoxy acid salt, which suffered sequential nucleophilic opening of the epoxide moiety followed by relactonization on treatment with methanol and boron trifluoride to deliver the methoxy lactone 460. Saponification of the lactone function in 460 followed by esterification of the resulting carboxylate salt with p-bromophenacylbromide in DMF and subsequent mesylation with methanesulfonyl chloride in pyridine provided 461. The diazoketone 462 was prepared from 461 by careful saponification of the ester moiety using powdered potassium hydroxide in THF followed by reaction with thionyl chloride and then excess diazomethane. Completion of the D ring by cyclization of 462 to the keto lactam 463 occurred spontaneously on treatment of 462 with dry hydrogen chloride. 

After the Claisen reaction of the Co A-activated carboxylic acids, the jS-keto-group is reduced and the lactone ring closed. Finally, esterification with the amino acid and formylation occur. [263]... 

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