scholarly journals Synthesis of new Cα-tetrasubstituted α-amino acids

Author(s):  
Andreas A Grauer ◽  
Burkhard König

Cα-Tetrasubstituted α-amino acids are important building blocks for the synthesis of peptidemimetics with stabilized secondary structure, because of their ability to rigidify the peptide backbone. Recently our group reported a new class of cyclic Cα-tetrasubstituted tetrahydrofuran α-amino acids prepared from methionine and aromatic aldehydes. We now report the extension of this methodology to aliphatic aldehydes. Although such aldehydes are prone to give aldol products under the reaction conditions used, we were able to obtain the target cyclic amino acids in low to moderate yields and in some cases with good diastereoselectivity.

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-12
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Skolnick ◽  
Mu Gao

Many of life’s molecules including proteins are built from chiral building blocks. What drove homochiral building block selection? Simulations on demi-chiral proteins containing equal numbers of d- and l-amino acids show that they possess many modern homochiral protein properties. They have the same global folds and could do the same biochemistry, with ancient, essential functions being most prevalent. They could synthesize chiral RNA and lipids which formed vesicles. RNA eventually combined with proteins creating ribosomes for more efficient protein synthesis, and thus, life began. Increased native state stability from homochiral secondary structure hydrogen bonding helped drive proteins towards homochirality.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1609-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOOKYUNG CHEON ◽  
MUYOUNG HEO ◽  
IKSOO CHANG ◽  
CHOONGRAK KIM

We present the clustering properties of amino acids, which are building blocks of proteins, according to their physico-chemical characters. To classify the 20 kinds of amino acids, we employ a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis for the Miyazawa-Jernigan (MJ) pairwise-contact matrix, the Environment-dependent One-body energy Parameters (EOP) and the one-body energy parameters incorporating the Ramachandran angle information (EOPR) over the EOP in proteins. We provide the new result of the SOM clustering for amino acids based on the EOPR and compare that with those from the MJ and the EOP matrix. All three kinds of energy parameters capture the leading role played by the hydrophobicity and the hydrophilicity of amino acids in protein folding. Our SOM analysis generally illustrates that both the EOP and the EOPR can provide the collective clustering of amino acids by the side chain characteristics and the secondary structure information. However, EOP is better at classifying amino acids according to their side chain characteristics whereas EOPR is better with secondary structure. We show that the EOP and the EOPR matrix manifests more detailed physico-chemical classification of amino acids than those from the MJ matrix, which does not contain a local environmental information of amino acids in the protein structures.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Leonhardt ◽  
Jeff M. Van Raden ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Lev N. Zakharov ◽  
Benjamin Aleman ◽  
...  

Extended carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), exhibit remarkable properties but are difficult to synthesize uniformly. Herein, we present a new class of carbon nanomaterials constructed via the bottom-up self-assembly of cylindrical, atomically-precise small molecules. Guided by supramolecular design principles and circle packing theory, we have designed and synthesized a fluorinated nanohoop that, in the solid-state, self-assembles into nanotube-like arrays with channel diameters of precisely 1.63 nm. A mild solution-casting technique is then used to construct vertical “forests” of these arrays on a highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface through epitaxial growth. Furthermore, we show that a basic property of nanohoops, fluorescence, is readily transferred to the bulk phase, implying that the properties of these materials can be directly altered via precise functionalization of their nanohoop building blocks. The strategy presented is expected to have broader applications in the development of new graphitic nanomaterials with π-rich cavities reminiscent of CNTs.


1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 59-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
L H Keith ◽  
R C Hall ◽  
R C Hanisch ◽  
R G Landolt ◽  
J E Henderson

Two new methods have been developed to analyze for organic pollutants in water. The first, two-dimensional gas chromatography, using post detector peak recycling (PDPR), involves the use of a computer-controlled gas Chromatograph to selectively trap compounds of interest and rechromatograph them on a second column, recycling them through the same detector again. The second employs a new detector system, a thermally modulated electron capture detector (TMECD). Both methods were used to demonstrate their utility by applying them to the analysis of a new class of potentially ubiquitous anthropoaqueous pollutants in drinking waters- -haloacetonitriles. These newly identified compounds are produced from certain amino acids and other nitrogen-containing compounds reacting with chlorine during the disinfection stage of treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soufiane Akhramez ◽  
Youness Achour ◽  
Mustapha Diba ◽  
Lahoucine Bahsis ◽  
Hajiba Ouchetto ◽  
...  

Background: In this study, an efficient synthesis of novel bispyrazole heterocyclic molecules by condensation of substituted aromatic aldehydes with 1,3-diketo-N-phenylpyrazole by using Mg/Al-LDH as heterogeneous catalyst is reported. The attractive features of this protocol are as follows: mild reaction conditions, good yields and easiness of the catalyst separation from the reaction mixture. Further, a mechanistic study has been performed by using DFT calculations to explain the observed selectivity of the condensation reaction between aryl aldehyde and 1,3-diketo-N-phenylpyrazole via Knoevenagel reaction. The local electrophilicity/ nucleophilicity that allows explaining correctly the experimental finding. Methods: The bispyrazole derivatives 3a-m were prepared by condensation reaction of substituted aromatic aldehydes with 1,3-diketo-Nphenylpyrazole by using Mg/Al-LDH as heterogeneous catalyst under THF solvent at the refluxing temperature. Objective: To synthesize a novel bispyrazole heterocyclic molecule may be have important biological activities and thus can be good candidates for pharmaceutical applications. Results: This protocol describes the Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds under mild reaction conditions, good yields and easiness of the catalyst separation from the reaction mixture. Further, a mechanistic study has been performed by using DFT calculations to explain the observed selectivity of the condensation reaction between aryl aldehyde and 1,3-diketo-N-phenylpyrazole via Knoevenagel reaction. The local electrophilicity/ nucleophilicity that allows explaining correctly the experimental finding. Conclusion: In summary, the pharmacologically interesting bis-pyrazole derivatives have been synthesized through Mg/Al-LDH as a solid base catalyst, in THF as solvent. Thus, the synthesized bioactive compounds containing the pyrazole ring may be have important biological activities and thus can be good candidates for pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the catalyst Mg/Al-LDH showed high catalytic activity. Besides, a series of bispyrazole molecules were synthesized with a good yield and easy separation of the catalyst by simple filtration. Moreover, DFT calculations and reactivity indexes are used to explain the selectivity of the condensation reaction between aryl benzaldehyde and 1,3-diketo-Nphenylpyrazole via Knoevenagel reaction, and the results are in good agreement with the experimental finding.


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