Esters of proteinogenic amino acids efficiently catalyse the formation of erythrose and threose under aqueous conditions in the highest yields and enantioselectivities yet reported. Remarkably while esters of (L)-proline yield (L)-carbohydrates, esters of (L)-leucine and (L)-alanine generate (D)-carbohydrates, offering the potential to account for the prebiotic link between natural (L)-amino acids and natural (D)-sugars.
Esters of proteinogenic amino acids efficiently catalyse the formation of erythrose and threose under potentially prebiotic conditions in the highest yields and enantioselectivities yet reported. Remarkably while esters of (L)-proline yield (L)-tetroses, esters of (L)-leucine, (L)-alanine and (L)-valine generate (D)-tetroses, offering the potential to account for the link between natural (L)-amino acids and natural (D)-sugars. The effect of pH and NaCl on the yields and enantioselectivities was also investigated and was shown to be significant, with the optimal enantioselectivities occurring at pH 7.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.