Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra of Acetate Derivatives of Soil and Plant Inositol Phosphates

Abstract

AbstractAcetate derivatives of inositols found in soils and plants were prepared subsequent to the extraction of the inositols as phosphates. Yields as high as 88% were obtained with the acetylation of samples as small as 20 mg of the inositol. The increase in molecular weight of the inositol upon acetylation was advantageous due to the small amounts of inositols usually available from soils and plants. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (NMR) of these acetate derivatives permitted the observation of the number of axial and equatorial acetoxy groups. The axial or equatorial position of an alkyl substituent on one of the oxygen atoms was easily observed by means of the NMR spectra of the acetate derivative. Improved NMR spectroscopic techniques can permit the analysis of the stereochemistry of soil and plant inositol phosphates without the requirement of an authentic sample as a standard for comparison.