1.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett
; 19(14): 3888-91, 2009 Jul 15.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19364643
ABSTRACT
The aldol reaction of the endogeneous compounds acetone and methylglyoxal has been studied using organocatalysis in relation to biologically relevant non-enzymatic reactions. Under preparative conditions, 3-hydroxy-2,5-hexadione, known as Henze's ketol, is formed in high yield and with enantioselectivities up to 88% ee. Furthermore, Henze's ketol is also formed under simulated physiological conditions at micromolar scale, indicating that this reaction might take place in living organisms.