• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2008

Lignans and neolignans are optically active plant secondary metabolites. Research on biosynthesis of lignans has already been advanced especially for the formation of (+) pinoresinol but information on the biosynthesis of 8-O-4'- neolignans is still limited. Moreover, the chemical structure(position of substituents on aromatic rings) and stereochemistry of 8-O-4' neolignans is not clear. Katayama and Kado discovered that incubation of cell-free extracts from E. ulmoides with coniferyl alcohol in the presence of hydrogen peroxide gave (+)-erythro- and (-)-threo- guaiacylglycerol 8-O-4'-(coniferyl alcohol) ether (GGCE)(diastereomeric ratio, 3:2) which is the first report on enzymatic formation of optically active -8-O-4' neolignans from an achiral monolignol. In this aspect, enzymatic formation of guaiacyl 8-O-4' neolignan is noteworthy to clarify its stereochemistry from incubation of coniferyl alcohol with enzyme prepared from Eucommia ulmoides. In this experiment, soluble and insoluble enzymes prepared from E. ulmoides were incubated with 30 mM coniferyl alcohol(CA) for 60 min. The enzyme catalyzed GGCE, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol(DHCA), and pinoresinol identified by reversed phase HPLC. Consequently, diastereomeric compositions of GGCE were determined as erythro and threo isomer. Enantiomeric composition was determined by the chiral column HPLC. Both enzyme preparations enantioselectively formed (-)-erythro, (+)-erythro and (+)-threo, (-)-threo-GGCEs respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.357-364
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• 1996

Stereochemistries of acetoxy 1,3-oxathiolane 1 were determined by two methods. First, the structures of $\alpha$ isomer 7 and $\beta$ isomer 9 were confirmed by the difference of their conversion rates to dihydrooxathiin 2 under acid catalysis. When the acetoxy leaving group is located in trans relationship to sulfur, a isomer in which carboxanilide is less hindered sterically against the 1,3-oxathiolane ring is $\beta$ isomer 7, and the other isomer of which the reaction rate is slower than 7 is $\beta$ isomer 9. Second, in the deuterium reactions of diastereomeric sulfoxides, the isomers of which methine hydrogen is substituted to deuterium were cis isomers 15 and 17, and another isomers of which methyl hydrogen is substituted to deuterium were trans isomers 16 and 18. Substitution of either methine or methyl hydrogen to deuterium resulted from stereospecific ring opening followed by recyclization by [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.879-888
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• 1992

Separation of the optical isomers of free amino acids by a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography has been studied by adding a copper(II) complex of L-proline or L-proline derivatives (hydroxy-L-proline, N-benzyl-L-proline, p-xylenyl-L-proline, p-xylenyl-hydroxy-L-proline) in the mobile phase. An OPA postcolumn detection system was used for the detection of amino acids. The chromatographic properties for the free amino acids were discussed in terms of the pH, the kinds and concentration of chelate or organic modifier. The retention behaviors of the free amino acids were considerably different from, those of DNS-amino acids or DABS-amino acids. The enantioselectivity of the free amino acids was better than that of derivatized amino acids. The enantioselectivity between the optical isomers observed by use of the Cu(II)-p-xylenyl-L-proline chiral cheleate was the best among the several copper(II) chelate. A separation mechanism could be illustrated not only by the hydrophobic interaction of the diastereomer with stationary phase but also by the steric effect of the ligand exchange reaction between the free-amino acids and copper chelate.