Abstract
THE optical isomers of α-keto-(β-methylvaleric acid have been prepared by enzymatic oxidation of the corresponding D-amino-acids1. The keto-acid isomers (and their 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones) prepared by enzymatic oxidation of D-isoleucine and D-alloisoleucine exhibited optical rotations which were equal in magnitude and opposite in direction1,2. Furthermore, from microbiological studies (to be reported in detail elsewhere), a purity of at least 98 per cent may be assigned to the lævorotatory isomer of α-keto-β-methylvaleric acid prepared by enzymatic oxidation of D-isoleucine. These findings indicate that the configuration about the β-carbon atom is not measurably altered by enzymatic oxidation of the D-amino-acids or during isolation of the keto-acid.
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References
Meister, A., J. Biol. Chem., 190, 269 (1951).
Greenstein, J. P., Levintow, L., Baker, C. G., and White, J., J. Biol. Chem., 188, 647 (1950).
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MEISTER, A. Enzymatic Conversion of the Stereoisomers of isoLeucine to the Corresponding α-Keto-Acids. Nature 168, 1119 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/1681119a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1681119a0
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