Abstract
The decarboxylation of orotic acid and analogues have been investigated as a model for enzymatic decarboxylation catalyzed by orotidine-5′-monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase). The rate of decarboxylation of 1-methyl-4-pyridone-2-carboxylic acid in solution has been reported to be three orders of magnitude greater than those of 1,3-dimethylorotic acid and 1-methyl-2-pyridone-6-carboxylic acid in solution. Here, the gas-phase decarboxylation of the three corresponding carboxylates were investigated. The carboxylate of 1,3-dimethylorotic acid decarboxylates at a faster rate and thus the relative rates of decarboxylation are different from those observed in solution. The relative rates of decarboxylation correlate well with the stability of the corresponding carbanions and the calculated activation energies for gas-phase decarboxylation. Therefore, the reactions in the gas phase seem to go through the direct decarboxylation mechanism whereas the reactions in solution likely go through zwitterionic intermediates as previously proposed.
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