Uracil ring amides

The pyrimidone ring system is not fully aromatic, since such compounds exist as amides, rather than hydroxypyrimidines, and the rr-system does not extend fully around the ring. In the case of the uracils, the 5,6-double bond possesses allylic character, and various relatively stable adducts can be obtained, for example, with bromine or chlorine water [210, 486—488]. Catalytic reduction across the 5,6-double bond is also readily accomplished [441, 489—491]. 

The plots of the intensities of selected characteristic bands as a function of lateral position (so-called chemical maps) provide information on the amount of the respective molecules or molecular groups in the different morphological structures (Fig. 4.2). The band at 784 cm 1 can be assigned to out-of-plane deformation vibrational modes of the nucleobases cytosine, thymine and uracil and serves as an indicator for the presence of nucleic acids. At 483 cm-1, a C-C-C deformation of carbohydrate polymers such as starch or pectin is present in some of the spectra. To study the distribution of protein compounds, we analysed characteristic signals of the amino acid phenylalanine (1002 cm 1 ring breathe) as well as of the protein amide I band (1651 cm-1) that is brought about by vibrations of the protein backbones. The maximum of the phenylalanine signal co-localizes with a maximum in protein content... 

The oxygen-containing bases are capable of lactam-lactim tautomerism. In most instances, the resonance energy of the amide group(s) outweighs the resonance stabilization of the aromatic ring, so that the lactam form is the predominant tautomer. This is illustrated for uracil ... 

The Biosynthesis of the Pyrimidine Ring begins with aspartic acid and carbamyl phosphate. The latter is an energy-rich compound which reacts with the former to give carbamylaspartic acid. Ring closure consumes ATP and is in principle an acid amide formation (peptide synthesis). The intermediate dihydro-orotic acid is dehydrogenated to orotic acid, probably by action of a flavoprotein. Orotic acid is the key precursor of pyrimidine nucleotides. It reacts with phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate. The removal of pyrophosphate yields the nucleotide of orotic acid, whose enzymic decarboxylation produces uridine 5 -phosphate. Phosphorylation with ATP yields uridine pyrophosphate and, finally, uridine triphosphate. Beside the above pathway, there is the further possibility of converting free uracil and ribose 1-phosphate to the nucleoside and from there with ATP to the nucleotide. 

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