Thiols diazo compounds

The strained bicyclic carbapenem framework of thienamycin is the host of three contiguous stereocenters and several heteroatoms (Scheme 1). Removal of the cysteamine side chain affixed to C-2 furnishes /J-keto ester 2 as a possible precursor. The intermolecular attack upon the keto function in 2 by a suitable thiol nucleophile could result in the formation of the natural product after dehydration of the initial tetrahedral adduct. In a most interesting and productive retrosynthetic maneuver, intermediate 2 could be traced in one step to a-diazo keto ester 4. It is important to recognize that diazo compounds, such as 4, are viable precursors to electron-deficient carbenes. In the synthetic direction, transition metal catalyzed decomposition of diazo keto ester 4 could conceivably furnish electron-deficient carbene 3 the intermediacy of 3 is expected to be brief, for it should readily insert into the proximal N-H bond to... 

Like aryl azides, diazo compounds are susceptible to reduction by thiols and a study of the diazotrifluoropropionyl group has been made by Taka-gaki et al. (1980) who showed that the corresponding hydrazone is formed (Fig. 3.6). For example, one reagent 20 pM) was converted to the extent of 24% in 3 h at room temperature by 30 mM cysteine, at pH 8.0. 

The stability of the reagent to the assay conditions should also be ascertained. The instability of azides and diazo compounds towards thiols was mentioned earlier, and it would be prudent to ensure that all new reagents whether they contain familiar photoactivatable groups or not are stable to the prevailing chemical and enzymatic conditions. In an attempt to label the cAMP receptor of D. discoideum, Wallace and Frazier (1979b) found that 8-N rcAMP was converted to NrAMP by the phosphodiesterase of a crude membrane preparation. The NrAMP specifically labeled actin and not the cAMP receptor. 

Protease Classification. In order to rationally design an inhibitor for a protease it is first necessary to place it into one of four families of proteases (see Table V). For a new enzyme, a study of its inhibition profile with a series of general protease inhibitors is sufficient to classify it into one of the four families. The inhibitors usually used are diiso-propylphosphofluoridate (DFP) or phenylmethane sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) for serine proteases, 1,10-phenanthroline for metalloproteases, thiol reagents such as iodoacetate or N-ethylmaleimide for thiol proteases, and pepstatin or diazo compounds such as diazoacetyl-norleucine methyl ester for carboxyl proteases. 

In addition, manganese oxide oxidizes benzylic methyl or methylene to carbonyl [814] and cleaves the carbon bonds of vicinal diols [577, 522]. It converts amines into imines [577, 525] tertiary amines into secondary amines [572], formamides [526, 527, 525], or ketones aromatic primary amines [575, 525] and hydrazo compounds [525] into azo compounds hy-droxylamines into nitroso [576] or nitro compounds [525] hydrazones into diazo compounds [520] phosphines into phosphine oxides [575] thiols into disulfides [576] and sulfides into sulfoxides [541]. 

Thioamides of two cyclopropanecarboxylic acids undergo coupling reactions with diazomethane derivatives in refluxing benzene containing rhodium(II) acetate. The reaction conceivably takes place via a thiirane intermediate which undergoes reductive elimination by reaction with excess diazo compound. An example of an intramolecular reaction is the formation of indolizine 2. If the diazo compound is not in excess a thiol is formed, this can be removed by Raney nickel desulfurization. ... 

Muthusamy and co-workers have reported the indium(III) triflate-catalyzed OH inserhon reaction of a-diazo ketones. In the presence of 10 mol % of catalyst, a range of alcohols and thiols decomposed a variety of aromatic and aliphatic diazo compounds affording the respective a-alkoxy ketones under mild conditions (eq 20). 

Aromatic diazonium salts react easily in neutral aqueous solution with thiols such as N-acetylcysteine, forming compounds of the type Ar — N2 —S —CH2CH(NHAc) COOH. Nifontov et al. (1990) suggested that such compounds, e.g., that of 5-diazo-imidazole-4-carboxylate, function as a form of transport depot for cytotoxic diazo-carboxylate in the human body. 

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