N-Acetyl- -ester

Fu et al. (1988) established a proteolytic enzyme-FET by immobilizing a-chymotrypsin on the gate of an ISFET. The signal is formed by the cleavage of N-benzoyl or N-acetyl esters of amino acids to the respective free acids. The response of these sensors was markedly affected by the pH and the concentration of the working buffer. The authors suggested that such sensors would be useful for protein assay in biological samples. 

A recent report describes the conversion of A-formyl- and N-acetyl-L-leucine into optically active azlactones with dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide (DCC) [Eq. (29)]. Other cyclization reagents, e.g. acetic anhydride, POCI3, SOCI2, and polyphosphoric acid, cause racemiza-tion. These azlactones react with optically active amino acid esters to give esters of dipeptides with retention of activity. 

Example 2 65 grams of sodium N-acetyl-p-aminophenol were slurried with 500 grams of dry benzene and 80 grams of acetyl salicoyl chloride added. The mixture was heated under reflux for four hours and filtered hot. The excess benzene was removed under vacuum and the crude acetyl salicyclic acid ester of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol crystallized from ethanol. 

The protease a-chymotrypsin has been used for transesterification reactions by two groups (Entries 7 and 8) [35, 36]. N-Acetyl-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester and N-acetyl-l-tyrosine ethyl ester were transformed into the corresponding propyl esters (Scheme 8.3-2). 

Iborra and co-workers (Entry 8) examined the transesterification of N-acetyl-i-tyrosine ethyl ester in different ionic liquids and compared their stabilizing effect relative to that found with 1-propanol as solvent [36]. Despite the fact that the enzyme activity in the ionic liquids tested reached only 10 to 50 % of the value in 1-propanol, the increased stability resulted in higher final product concentrations. Fixed water contents were used in both studies. 

Microbial serine proteases, such as chymotrypsin, catalyse the hydrolysis of N-acetyl-L-amino add esters (Figure A8.ll). 

Figure A8.11 Enzymatic resolution of N-acetyl-D,L-amino add esters.

In a first report [24], the enantioselectivities of various proteases were evaluated by comparing the biocatalyzedhydrolysis of2-chloroethyl esters of N-acetyl-i- and D-amino acids in water and their transesterification with w-propanol in butyl ether. By comparing the ratio of the kc t/Ku values for the l- and D-enantiomers in the two reactions, a remarkable relation of the proteases enantioselectivity was observed apparently, in this case, the organic solvents destroyed the selectivity of the tested enzymes. This finding... 

Recently, a very interesting preparation of P-peptides has been carried out by Kanerva and coworkers through a two-step lipase-catalyzed reactions in which N-acetylated P-amino esters were first activated as 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl esters with CALB [55]. The activated esters were then used to react with a P-aminoester in the presence of CALA in dry diethylether or diisopropylether (Scheme 7.31). In this peptide synthesis, the aminoester was used in excess and the unreacted counterpart was easily separated and later recyded. 

The enantiomeric excess (ee) of the hydrogenated products was determined either by polarimetry, GLC equipped with a chiral column or H-NMR with a chiral shift reagent. Methyl lactate and methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate, obtained from 1 and 2, respectively, were analized polarimetry using a Perkin-Elmer 243B instrument. The reference values of [a]o(neat) were +8.4° for (R)-methyl pyruvate and -22.95° for methyl 3-hydroxybutcinoate. Before GLC analysis, i-butyl 5-hydroxyhexanoate, methyl 5-hydroxyhexanoate, and n-butyl 5-hydroxyhexanoate, obtained from 1, 5, and 6, respectively, were converted to the pentanoyl esters, methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate was converted to the acetyl ester, and methyl 4-methyl-3-hydroxybutanoate obtained from 2 was converted the ester of (+)-a-methyl-a-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl acetic acid (MTPA). 

N-(benzyloxycarbonylglycyl)-, methyl ester N-(8-methoxycarbonyloctanoyl)-, methylamide methylamide 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-N-acetyl-... 

Selectivity studies with DTU indicated marked discrimination in the clathrate formation 23,45). As in other types of clathrates, the steric factor is important in differentiation between compounds of similar functionality but different shape. For example, DTU forms crystalline complexes with some alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, 1-butanol) but not with others (2-butanol). It complexes the ethyl esters of N-acetyl derivatives of glycine, alanine, methionine and aspartic acid, but not of proline, serine, phenylalanine and glutamic acid. 

Haley, F., and H. A. Lardy Phosphoric Esters of Biological Importance. VI. The Synthesis of D-Glucosamine 6-Phosphate and N-Acetyl-D-glucos-amine 6-Phosphate. J. Amer. chem. Soc. 78, 1393 (1956). 

Although not of fatty acid origin another group of scarab beetles utilizes amino acid derivatives as pheromones [119]. The large black chafer, Holotrichia parallela, uses L-isoleucine methyl ester [ 120] and the cranberry white grub, Phyllophaga anxia, uses both L-isoleucine and i.-valine methyl esters [121]. More recently L-isoleucine methyl ester, N-formyl L-isoleucine methyl ester, and N-acetyl L-isoleucine methyl ester were identified in the scarab beetle Phyllophaga elenans [ 122]. These pheromone components are obviously derived from the amino acids isoleucine and valine. 

Corr, L. T., Berstan, R. and Evershed, R. P. (2007a) Development of N acetyl methyl ester derivatives for the determination of 813C values of amino acids using gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 79, 9082 9090. 

Metges, C. C., Petzke, K. J. and Hennig, U. (1996) Gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometric comparison of N acetyl and N pivaloyl amino acid esters to measure 15N... 

N-Acetyl-Dgalactosamine uridine diphosphate ester of uridine diphosphate ester of... 

For Z-a-benzoylaminocinnamic acid and methyl ester substrates, with various donor and acceptor substituents in the phenyl ring, there was no correlation between the Hammett o--values of para substituents and optical purity of the product (239). The DIOP systems hydrogenate Z isomers more rapidly than E isomers, and induce a greater optical bias. N-Acetyl substrates always gave higher optical purities than the JV-benzoyl substrates, and similarly acid substrates were better than the corresponding methyl esters (239). 

In the studies conducted by Reetz, rhodium catalysts based on mixtures of monodentate phosphites, monodentate phosphonites and combinations of the two were screened in the enantioselective hydrogenation of a- and /9-N-acetyl-de-hydroamino acid esters, enamides and dimethyl itaconate [40], and a number of the more striking positive results are listed in Table 36.3. An enhanced ee-value was found mostly with combinations of two phosphonites, or one phosphonite and one phosphite, in particular when one of the ligands carries a bulky substituent and the other a small one. 

Mammalian esterases have been classified into three groups according to specificity for substates and inhibitors (110). In terms of overall hydrolytic activity in mammals, the most important class of esterases is that of the B-esterases, which are principally active with aliphatic esters and amides. A-Esterases are important for aromatic esters and organophosphorus esters, and C-esterases are active with acetyl esters. In general, the specificity of mammalian esterases is determined by the nature of substituent groups (acetyl, alkyl, or aryl) rather than the heteroatom (O, N, or S) that is adjacent to the carboxy group. That is, the same esterase would likely catalyze hydrolysis of an ester, amide, or thioester as long as the substituents were identical except for the heteroatom (110). 

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