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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > January  >
In the Laboratory
A Simple Method for Determining the Absolute Configuration of a-Amino Acids
María Dolores Díaz-de-Villegas
Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza-CSIC, 50009 Zaragoz, Spain

Esteban P. Urriolabeitia
Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza-CSIC, 50009 Zaragoz, Spain

Cover
January 1999
Vol. 76 No. 1
p. 77

Abstract
The reaction of [Pd(dmba)(acac)] (dmba = C6H4CH2NMe2-2 or 2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]phenyl-C1,N; acac = C5H7O2 or acetylacetonate) with optically pure a-amino acids (HAa, 1:1 molar ratio) [HAa = S-alanine, S-2-amino butyric acid, R-2-amino butyric acid, (2S,3S)-isoleucine, (2S,3R)-threonine and S-asparagine] in refluxing MeOH results in the formation of the corresponding neutral complexes [Pd(dmba)(Aa)] in good yield. The CD (circular dichroism) spectra of these complexes have been measured. The analysis of the shape of the CD curves reveals that all complexes with the same configuration at Ca display similar CD curves, whereas complexes with opposite configuration at Ca display CD curves that are mirror images. Thus, these complexes could be used as analytical tools in the assignment of absolute configurations of a-amino acids.
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*  Citation
Diaz-de-Villegas, Maria Dolores; Urriolabeitia, Esteban P. J. Chem. Educ. 1999 76 77.
*  Keywords
Inorganic Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Organometallics; Qualitative Analysis; Amino Acids; Laboratory Instruction
*  History
Created:
Last Updated:
June 15, 1999
November 22, 2005
  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > January  > Page 77


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