Effect of the Side Chain on the Racemization of Amino Acids in Aqueous Solution

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00280a017

The rate of racemization of 13 amino acids possessing hydroxy, carboxy, alkoxy, carboalkoxy, alkyl, aryl, and thioether side chains were compared.Reaction conditions were identical for all amino acids studied.Gas chromatography was used to determine the percent of D isomer present.Hydroxy amino acids racemized most rapidly, but conversion to an ether function reduced the rate considerably.The increased racemization rate of methionine (R = CH2CH2SCH3) over Ala (R = CH3) has been attributed to orbital overlap from the sulfur.Asp racemized faster than Glu, α-aminoadipic acid, and pyroglutamic acid. β- and γ-monomethyl esters of aspartic and glutamic acids, respectively, racemized only slightly faster than the corresponding free acids.The slight increase in rate appears attributable to a solvent change brought on by ester hydrolysis.Under the reaction conditions, pH 8 and 140 deg C, hydrolysis of the esters competed favorably with racemization at the methine carbon.The relatively lower racemization rate observed in the case of Glu compared with Asp resulted from the slow formation of pyroglutamic acid.Pyroglutamic acid racemized at a considerably slower rate than acidic amino acids.The differences in the racemization rates with changes in the R group are discussed in terms of several factors, including intramolecular reactions, direct field effects, orbital overlap, and solvation effects, as well as inductive, resonance, and steric factors.