Conformational study of catecholamines in solution.

Conformations of noradrenaline, dopamine and ephedrine have been studied in aqueous solutions using high resolution PMR spectroscopy. We found that for dopamine the mole fraction of trans rotamer is increased if pH is changed from acidic to basic while for noradrenaline and ephedrine the opposite trend is observed: gauche rotamer forms of the side chain become more populated. These changes are discussed in relation to the role of the benzylic hydroxyl group for conformation and/or binding to a receptor site in the biophase.