2-Propene sulfenic acid

Onions contain an amino acid that is a positional isomer of alliin. When acted upon by alliinase it produces 2-propene sulfenic acid, which isomerizes to the lachrima-tory factor that brings tears to the eyes of onion cutters.c This, too, decomposes to form many other compounds.3... 

The most common procedure previously employed to effect the elimination of thiols from thioacetals has been heating in the presence of a protic acid. For example, propionaldehyde diethyl thioacetal is converted to 1-ethylthio-l-propene on heating at 175° in the presence of phosphoric acid. The relatively high temperature and acidic conditions of such procedures are, however, distinct disadvantages of this method. Another approach consists of oxidation of a thioacetal to the mono S-oxide and thermal elimination of a sulfenic acid at 140-150°. ... 

Block et al. (1979) have recently shown that the lachrymatory factor of the onion is a sulfine, namely, CH3CH2CH=S=0. This sulfine is also thought to be formed from a sulfenic acid precursor, in this case by the intramolecular shift (14) of the sulfenic acid proton of trans- 1-propene-l -sulfenic acid. 

When onion is cut or cmshed, ( )-5 -l-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (isoalliin) is converted into ( )-l-propene-l-sulfenic acid. Different from garlic, (Z)-thiopropanal S-oxide, a lachrymatory factor, is formed from the sulfenic acid by lachrymatory factor synthase (Figure 18.6). The remaining ( )-l-propene-l-sulfenic acid and methyl sulfenic acid produced from 5 -methyl-L-eysteine sulfoxide ean form methyl 1-pro-pene-thiosulfinate and 1-propenyl methane thiosulfinate that are further converted to sulfides such as 1-propenyl methyl disulfide and 1-prope-nyl methyl trisulfide. 

Even considering the difference in the amount of 5 -alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulfoxide, the total amount of thiosulfinates produced from onion is significantly lower than that from garlic being approximately 0.01-0.035 mg/g-fresh weight (Table 18.2). The reason for this is because most of the ( )-l-propene-l-sulfenic acid produced from E)-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide is converted into a lachrymatory factor, and not so much can be used for the production of thiosulfinates. 

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