Lewis acid catalysed methylation of N-(9H-fluoren-9-yl)methanesulfonyl (Fms) protected lipophilic α-amino acid methyl esters.

This work reports an efficient Lewis acid catalysed N-methylation procedure of lipophilic α-amino acid methyl esters in solution phase. The developed methodology involves the use of the reagent system AlCl3/diazomethane as methylating agent and α-amino acid methyl esters protected on the amino function with the (9H-fluoren-9-yl)methanesulfonyl (Fms) group. The removal of Fms protecting group is achieved under the same conditions to those used for Fmoc removal. Thus the Fms group can be interchangeable with the Fmoc group in the synthesis of N-methylated peptides using standard Fmoc-based strategies. Finally, the absence of racemization during the methylation reaction and the removal of Fms group were demonstrated by synthesising a pair of diastereomeric dipeptides.

Synthesis of D-erythro-sphinganine through serine-derived α-amino epoxides.

A total synthesis of D-erythro-sphinganine [(2S,3R)-2-aminooctadecane-1,3-diol] starting from commercial N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-serine methyl ester is described. The approach is based on the completely stereoselective preparation of an α-amino epoxide obtained by treating a protected L-serinal derivative with dimethylsulfoxonium methylide. The oxirane synthon is obtained with an anti configuration fitting the (2S,3R) stereochemistry of the 2-amino-1,3-diol polar head of D-erythro-sphinganine. The synthetic procedure afforded the target compound in a 68% overall yield based on the initial amount of the starting L-serine material.

Aromatherapy: composition of the gaseous phase at equilibrium with liquid bergamot essential oil.

This work compares the composition at different temperatures of gaseous phase of bergamot essential oil at equilibrium with the liquid phase. A new GC-MS methodology to determine quantitatively the volatile aroma compounds was developed. The adopted methodology involved the direct injection of headspace gas into injection port of GC-MS system and of known amounts of the corresponding authentic volatile compounds. The methodology was validated. This study showed that gaseous phase composition is different from that of the liquid phase at equilibrium with it.

N-Methylated α-Amino Acids And Peptides: Synthesis And Biological Activity.

The simplest and minimal modification of a single amino acid or peptide bonds is represented by N-methylation. This can improve the pharmacokinetic properties of biologically active peptides as well as resulting in analogues that show specific biological activity such as enzyme inhibitors, receptor antagonists and agonists, building blocks in combinatorial chemistry for the screening of new potential drugs. Further, structural and conformational studies performed with N-methylated analogues of natural amino acids and peptides enabled to (i) produce stable foldamers with different topology with respect to the helix of natural and endogenous peptides, (ii) confer to modified peptides high stability against proteases and (iii) enhance lipophilicity and bioavailability for pharmacological purposes. Consequentially, it is crucial to provide optically pure N-methyl-amino acids and N-methylated peptides with a large supply. The present report will focus on the results obtained in the last decade in the field of chemical synthetic methodologies for the N-methylation of amino acids.