1.Absolute stereochemistry of the trans-dihydrodiols formed from benzo[a]anthracene by liver microsomes.
Thakker DR, Levin W, Yagi H, Turujman S, Kapadia D, Conney AH, Jerina DM. Chem Biol Interact. 1979 Oct;27(2-3):145-61.
Through application of the exciton chirality method, absolute stereochemistry has been assigned to the (+)-and (-)-enantiomers of four of the five metabolically possible trans-dihydrodiols of the polycyclic hydrocarbon benzo[a]anthracene (BA). The (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of each of these dihydrodiols can be separated as their diastereomeric bis-esters with (-)-alpha-methoxy-alpha-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). BA 3,4-, 5,6-, 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiol are formed in 38%, 36%, 78% and 66% enantiometric purity, respectively, by liver microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats, whereas the liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene(MC)-treated rats form BA 5,6-, 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiols with higher optical purity (62%, 96% and 96%, respectively). BA 3,4-dihydrodiol is formed from (+/-)-BA 3,4-oxide by microsomal epoxide hydrase in very high enantiometric purity (78%). The major enantiomer of the BA dihydrodiols formed by liver enzymes has R,R absolute stereochemistry in each case.
2.Stereospecific gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric assay of the chiral labetalol metabolite 3-amino-1-phenylbutane.
Changchit A1, Gal J, Zirrolli JA. Biol Mass Spectrom. 1991 Dec;20(12):751-8.
We previously identified 3-amino-1-phenylbutane (APB) as an oxidative N-dealkylated, metabolite of the antihypertensive agent labetalol. Labetalol has two asymmetric centers and is used clinically as a mixture of the four possible stereoisomers; APB has one asymmetric center. We now report an enantiospecific gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric assay for APB in urine. After adding the internal standard 1-methyl-2-phenoxyethylamine and alkalinizing, the urine samples were extracted with ether. The extracts were derivatized with the optically active acid chloride prepared from (S)-alpha-methoxy-alpha-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid. The derivatives were separated by capillary gas chromatography and detected by electron capture negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. The derivative of the R enantiomer eluted first, and the [M--32]- ions were monitored for both the drug and the internal standard. The method was linear in the 0.
3.Mosher ester analysis for the determination of absolute configuration of stereogenic (chiral) carbinol carbons.
Hoye TR1, Jeffrey CS, Shao F. Nat Protoc. 2007;2(10):2451-8.
This protocol details the most commonly used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based method for deducing the configuration of otherwise unknown stereogenic, secondary carbinol (alcohol) centers (R1R2CHOH (or the analogous amines where OH is replaced by NH2)). This 'Mosher ester analysis' relies on the fact that the protons in diastereomeric alpha-methoxy-alpha-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA) esters (i.e., those derived from conjugation of the carbinol under interrogation with MTPA) display different arrays of chemical shifts (deltas) in their 1H NMR spectra. The protocol consists of the following: (i) preparation of each of the diastereomeric S- and R-MTPA esters and (ii) comparative (Delta delta(SR)) analysis of the 1H NMR spectral data of these two esters. By analyzing the sign of the difference in chemical shifts for a number of analogous pairs of protons (the set of Delta delta(SR) values) in the diastereomeric esters (or amides), the absolute configuration of the original carbinol (or amino) stereocenter can be reliably deduced.
4.Identification and quantification of synthetic cannabinoids in 'spice-like' herbal mixtures: a snapshot of the German situation in the autumn of 2012.
Langer N1, Lindigkeit R, Schiebel HM, Ernst L, Beuerle T. Drug Test Anal. 2014 Jan-Feb;6(1-2):59-71. doi: 10.1002/dta.1499. Epub 2013 May 30.
Synthetic compounds mimicking cannabis-like effects are a recent trend. Currently, these so-called synthetic cannabinoids are the largest and fastest growing class of newly appearing designer drugs. Many national authorities are continuously adapting their regulations to keep pace with the permanently changing variety of compounds. We have analyzed eight herbal smoking blends containing synthetic cannabinoids. Altogether, nine compounds could be identified, namely AM-2201, AM-2201-pMe (MAM-2201), AM-1220, AM-1220-azepane, UR-144, XLR-11, JWH-122-pentenyl, AM-2232, and STS-135. Newly appearing compounds were isolated by column chromatography and their structures elucidated by 1D- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. In addition, the compounds were investigated by electron ionization-mass spectrometry (EI-MS) and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) to complete the physicochemical dataset. Based on the purified compounds a universal gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed for the identification and quantification of these compounds in commercial smoking blends.
