THE CHEMISTRY OF. .. Biologically Important Amines

Studies on the applications of the amination chemistry have begun to emerge. These results demonstrate the utility of the amination in the construction of complex, biologically active molecules, in the synthesis of electronically important structures, and in the synthesis of ligands for other catalytic chemistry. 

The ubiquitous role of amines in both nature and in a vast variety of biologically important synthetic molecules gives this functionality a place of special prominence and interest in organic chemistry. Therefore, much effort and attention has been exerted toward developing methods for the selective synthesis of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines.4 In particular, the selective synthesis of secondary amines and orthogonally protected primary amines is quite important as these are often featured as valuable synthetic intermediates.5... 

Amides are very interesting and important molecules that have a nitrogen atom attached to an acyl carbon (see 68, 69, and 8 also see 92-94). There is a carboxylic acid component and an amine component. Therefore, it shordd be possible to combine a carboxylic acid and an amine in a chemical reaction to form an amide. This is partly correct, but because carboxylic acids are acids and amines are bases, complicating factors must be considered. Note that the important class of compounds called peptides in mammalian biology is linked together by peptide bonds. These peptide bonds are actually amide bonds from a chemical viewpoint, and understanding the chemistry of amides allows one to understand the chemistry of peptides better. 

The concept that a transition metal complex can interact in an orderly manner with neutral molecules or ions to give an outer sphere complex dates back over 100 years to Alfred Werner s original description of coordination chemistry (Figure 1). Werner fonnd the idea, we now call second-sphere coordination, essential to explain snch simple phenomena as (i) the dependence of optical rotation on the nature of the anion and solvent, (ii) the formation of adducts between amines and saturated complexes, and (iii) solvents of crystallization. Indeed, aspects of the second-sphere coordination are known to be important in such diverse areas as the biological activity of siderophores and the function of MRl contrast agents. ... 

The imidazole ring is often found in biologically active molecules and is as such important in medicinal chemistry [16]. An interesting route for the production of substituted imidazoles is the Debus-Radziszewski reaction. This is a three-component reaction of a diketone, an amine and an aldehyde to form trisubstituted imidazoles (Scheme 3). 

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