Effect of structure of the amino acids and amines on the rate and mechanism of their condensations with pyridoxal

Abstract

Kinetics and mechanism of condensation of amino acids and amines of different structure and their derivatives with pyridoxal were studied. It was established that the amino acid with secondary amino group, proline, adds to pyridoxal with the formation of amino alcohol. α-Amino acids in the course of condensation with pyridoxal form amino alcohols which transform to Schiff bases. The latter compounds by elimination of the α-hydrogen atom or CO2 from the amino acid fragment and the subsequent hydrolysis of the quinoid structure form the final products. β- And ɛ-amino acids react with pyridoxal to form Schiff bases which are stable to chemical transformations. The possibility was shown of their conversion to the quinoid structure. It was established that the guanidine structure of the molecule of L-arginine unlike its α-NH2 group did not take part in the condensation with pyridoxal. The quantitative evaluation of the condensation rates of triptamine, Ltriptofane, and its methyl ester in the stage of dehydration of their amino alcohols was carried out.