Phenylalanine derivatives, molecular

The Jacobsen group have also focused on optimization of the organocatalyst, and the design of new, simpler catalysts [37], by systematic variation of each modular component of the catalyst, for example the salicylaldimine, diamine, amino acid, and amide. A new catalyst was found, a simple amino acid derivative 42 with less than half the molecular weight and fewer stereogenic centers than the thiourea catalyst 41. In the presence of this organocatalyst 42, benzaldimine was converted into the corresponding //-phenylalanine derivative (R)-40a with 100% conversion and 94% ee (Scheme 5.24) [37]. 

Bhattacharya etal. [73] reported gelation behavior of several L-phenylalanine-based amphiphiles. To explore the impact of molecular structures on gelation of L-phenylalanine derivatives, Bhattacharya and co-workers synthesized as many as twelve L-phenylalanine-based mono- and bi-polar derivatives and solubilized each of these in selected solvents. The formation of gel was found to depend on the concentration of the gelling agent, solvents and the temperature. The SEM and TEM studies suggested the formation of intertwined threads and fibers juxtaposed by slender filaments, which also produced a network with pores, which probably held the solvent molecules due to surface tension in the gel. 

Havanols are a wide group of polyphenols that include flavan-3-ols (e.g., catechin and proanthocyanidins), flavan-4-ols, and flavan-3,4-diols. They arise from plant secondary metabolism through condensation of phenylalanine derived from the shikimate pathway with malonyl-CoA obtained from citrate that is produced by the tricarboxylic acid cycle, leading to the formation of the key precursor in the flavonoids biosynthesis the naringenin chalcone. The exact nature of the molecular species that undergo polymerization and the mechanism of assembly in proanthocyanidins are still unknown. From a structural point of view, flavanols... 

Several selective interactions by MIP membrane systems have been reported. For example, an L-phenylalanine imprinted membrane prepared by in-situ crosslinking polymerization showed different fluxes for various amino acids [44]. Yoshikawa et al. [51] have prepared molecular imprinted membranes from a membrane material which bears a tetrapeptide residue (DIDE resin (7)), using the dry phase inversion procedure. It was found that a membrane which contains an oligopeptide residue from an L-amino acid and is imprinted with an L-amino acid derivative, recognizes the L-isomer in preference to the corresponding D-isomer, and vice versa. Exceptional difference in sorption selectivity between theophylline and caffeine was observed for poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) blend membranes prepared by the wet phase inversion technique [53]. 

Barboiu, M Hovnanian, N., Luca, C. and Cot, L. (1999) Functionalized derivatives of benzo-crown-ethers, V, Multiple molecular recognition of zwitterionic phenylalanine. Tetrahedron, 55, 9221—9232. 

Very recently, nice recognition of free and AT-acetylated amino acids (Gly, Ala, Phe) and some structurally related guests by a dicationic cyclophane-type A/,Ar -dibenzylated chiral derivative (4) of a bisisoquinoline alkaloid S,S-(+)-tetrandine (3 DBT) has been studied by NMR titration in water [31]. In contrast to other macrocyclic hosts, DBT shows high affinity and large enan-tioselectivity (K(S)/K(R)> 10) toward the smaller N-acetylalanine and binds the larger phenylalanine more weakly and nonselectively. The binding specificity of DBT was rationalized on the basis of molecular mechanics calculations. 

A self-assembling molecular capsule with inwardly directed hydrogen bond acceptors and donors composed of two identical resorcarene derivatives with phenylalanine residues on each aromatic subunit, l-40, was recently reported by Kuberski and Szumna [87]. 

Multifunctional (di)benzo-18-crown-6 derivatives 33 <1997LA1853> and 34 <1999T9221> have been designed for multipoint molecular recognition of zwitterionic amino acids by exploiting a combination of noncovalent interactions. Bis-crown 34 was also active in the transport of zwitterionic phenylalanine through bulk liquid membranes as a function of the co-transported alkali cation. 

Figure 6.11 shows the activity of an artificial enzyme can be controlled based on the phase behavior of a lipid bilayer. The catalytic site for hydrolysis was supplied by a monoalkyl azobenzene compound with a histidine residue which was buried in the hydrophobic environment of a hpid bilayer matrix formed using a dialkyl ammonium salt. Azobenzene compound association depended on the state of the matrix bilayer. The azobenzene catalyst aggregated into clusters when the bilayer matrix was in a gel state. In contrast, the azobenzene derivative can be dispersed into the liquid crystalhne phase of the bilayer matrix above its phase transition temperature. This bilayer-type artificial enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of a Z-phenylalanine p-nitrophenyl ester. The activation energy for this reaction in the gel state is twice as large as that observed in the hquid crystalline state. The clustering of the catalysts upon phase separation suppress their catalytic activity, probably due to the disadvantageous electrostatic environment around the catalysts and the suppressed substrate diffusion. This activity control is unique to such molecular assembhes. 

Luse and M(iLaren (1963) have reviewed published research on the photolysis products and quantum yields tor the destruction of amino acids and have attributed the photochemical inactivation of the enzymes chymo-trypsin, lysozyme, ribonuclease, and trypsin by UV light at 254 m i primarily to destruction of the cystyl and tryptophyl residues. The destruction of these residues in proteins was suggested to be a function of the product of the number of residues present, the molecular extinction coefficient, and the quantum yield for destruction of each residue. Cysteine and tryptamine were identified among the irradiation products from cystine and tryptophan, respectively. Tyrosine, histidine, and phenylalanine were also shown to be degraded by UV, histidine yielding histamine, urocanic acid, and other imidazole derivatives, and phenylalanine yielding tyrosine and dihydroxyphenylalanine. Destruction of these three amino acids was not considered to contribute appreciably to the enzyme inactivation. 

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