Methyl-thiohydantoin derivatives

Free amino acids can be derivatized with isothiocyanates to phenyl- or methyl-thiohydantoin derivatives. The thiohydantoins can be separated on a CSP with poly-[Af-acryloyl-L-phenylalanine ethylester] (Chiraspher ) as a chiral selector [25]. This CSP offers a known selectivity for many five-membered heterocyclic rings. 

GLC is an important adjunct to protein sequence determination. Automatic "sequenators" based upon the approach developed by Edman are available and have been described in detail by Niall (60). The Edman degradation, summarized in Equation 9.5, makes use of methyl or phenylisothiocyanate which reacts with the N-terminus of a peptide. Exposure of the isothiocyanate derivative of the protein to acid results in cleavage of the terminal amino acid as a thiaxolinones and exposure of the next amine group on the peptide. Thus, the process can be repetitively carried out, each amino acid removed from the peptide, in a sequential manner. Thiazolinones rearrange in acid medium to form thiohydantoin derivatives of amino acids, some of which may be directly gas chromatographed others must be derivatized typically as trimethylsilyl derivatives. 

Eyem and Sjoquist have suggested the use of short (4.5 m) glass capillary columns and reported the separation of 19 of 20 silylated methyl thiohydantoin (MTH) derivatives of the amino acids (62). The histidine derivative can be separated on the same column by starting at a higher temperature. Separation of some of the silylated PTH derivatives was also demonstrated, though not in as much detail as the MTH derivatives. 

The N-methyl- and IV-phenylthiourea derivatives of the N-terminal amino acid of a peptide thermally rearrange in the MS ion source to give the thiohydantoin derivative of the terminal amino acid and the shortened peptide [189]. This has been suggested as a sequencing method for the first four acids after which point interference from side products becomes excessive. 

Figure 59. Production of methyl (or phenyl) thiohydantoin derivatives from polypeptides.

A study was made of RP-HPLC with constant-potential (1.2 V vs SCE) and pulsed-potential amperometric detection using platinum or gold electrodes, of the derivatives of the common amino acids, obtained from phenyl and methyl isothiocyanates. All the thiohydantoins (98) were oxidized at both electrodes LOD was less than 0.2 pM for lysine and glycine, for 50 pL injection268. 

Fairwell, T., S. Ellis, and R.E. Lovins, Quantitative protein sequencing using mass spectrometry thermally induced formation of thiohydantoin amino acid derivatives from N-methyl- and N-phenylthiourea amino acids and peptides in the mass spectrometer. Anal Biochem, 1973. 53(1) 115-23. 

A wider range of possibilities of preparing cyclic derivatives is offered by the presence of carboxyl and a-amino groups in the molecule. Substituted 5-oxazolinone (Scheme 4.23) is prepared by refluxing with TFA anhydride, and substituted 5-oxazolidinone (Scheme 4.24)by reaction with (halogenated) acetone [117,118]. Thiohydantoins are formed by reaction with isothiocyanate (Scheme 4.25). If R is methyl or phenyl, then the corresponding methyl- or phenylthiohydantoin is produced. Thiohydantoins are usually not volatile enough and for the purposes of GC analyses must be further modified, e.g., by trimethylsilylation [119,120]. 

Sun and Lovins [212] studied the elimination of neutral fragments, obtained from amino acids liberated during the Edman degradation, which are transformed into derivatives of methyl- (or phenyl-) thiohydantoin (Fig. 59). 

A typical example of single-stage derivatization of amino acids is based on their reaction with methyl or phenyl isothiocyanates with the formation of 3-methyl (phenyl) thiohydantoins. The optimal analytical method for the analysis of semivolatile organic compounds of this class is RP HPLC, but derivatives of the simplest amino acids can be objects of GC analysis as well (Fig. 3). 

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