Studies on the biodegradation of fosfomycin: synthesis of 13C-labeled intermediates, feeding experiments with Rhizobium huakuii PMY1, and isolation of labeled amino acids from cell mass by HPLC.

Racemic (1R*,2R*)-1,2-dihydroxy-[1-(13)C(1)]propylphosphonic acid and 1-hydroxy-[1-(13)C(1)]acetone were synthesized and fed to R. huakuii PMY1. Alanine and a mixture of valine and methionine were isolated as their N-acetyl derivatives from the cell hydrolysate by reversed-phase HPLC and analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the carbon atoms of the respective carboxyl groups were highly (13)C-labeled (up to 65 %). Hydroxyacetone is therefore considered an obligatory intermediate of the biodegradation of fosfomycin by R. huakuii PMY1.

Direct chemical synthesis of chiral methanol of 98% ee and its conversion to [(2)H1,(3)H]methyl tosylate and [(2)H1,(3)H-methyl]methionine.

This paper describes the synthesis of chiral methanols [(R)- and (S)-CHDTOH] in a total of 12 steps starting from (chloromethyl)dimethylphenylsilane. The metalated carbamates derived from (dimethylphenylsilyl)methanol and secondary amines were borylated at low temperatures (-78 or -94 degrees C) using borates derived from tert-butyl alcohol and (+)-pinane-2,3-diol or (R,R)-1,2-dicyclohexylethane-1,2-diol to give diastereomeric boronates (dr 1:1 to 5:1). The carbamoyloxy group could be replaced smoothly with inversion of configuration by an isotope of hydrogen using LiAlH(D)4 [or LiBEt3H(D,T)]. If the individual diastereomeric boronates were reduced with LiAlD4 and oxidized with H2O2/NaHCO3, monodeuterated (dimethylphenylsilyl)methanols of ee > 98% resulted. The absolute configurations of the boronates were based on a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. Brook rearrangement of the enantiomers of (dimethylphenylsilyl)-[(2)H1,(3)H]methanol prepared similarly furnished the chiral methanols which were isolated as 3,5-dinitrobenzoates in 81% and 90% yield, respectively. For determination of the enantiomeric excesses (98%), the methyl groups were transferred to the nitrogen of (S)-2-methylpiperidine and (3)H{(1)H} NMR spectra were recorded. The Brook rearrangement is a stereospecific process following a retentive course. The chiral methanols were also transformed into methyl tosylates used to prepare [(2)H1,(3)H-methyl]methionines in high overall yields (>80%).

On the transformation of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid into fosfomycin in Streptomyces fradiae--a unique method of epoxide ring formation.

(1S,2S)- and (1R,2S)-2-hydroxy-[1-D(1)]propylphosphonic acid were synthesised from (1S,2S)-2-benzyloxy-[1-D(1)]propanol, which was obtained by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase catalysed reduction of the corresponding aldehyde. When (1S,2S)-2-hydroxy-[1-D(1)]propylphosphonic acid was fed to Streptomyces fradiae, the deuterium was retained to the same extent in fosfomycin (cis-epoxide) and its co-metabolite trans-epoxide. Removal of the hydrogen (deuterium) atom from the C-1 atom of deuterated 2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acids is a stereospecific process (the hydrogen atom of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid is pro-R). The formation of the O--C-1 bond of fosfomycin occurs with net inversion of configuration, the formation of the O--C-1 bond of the trans-epoxide with net retention.

Low-molecular-weight chiral cation exchangers: novel chiral stationary phases and their application for enantioseparation of chiral bases by nonaqueous capillary electrochromatography.

Cation exchange type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on 3,5-dichlorobenzoyl amino acid and amino phosphonic acid derivatives as chiral selectors (SOs) and silica as chromatographic support were developed and applied to enantiomer separations of chiral bases by nonaqueous capillary electrochromatography (NA-CEC). As a rationale for efficient CSP development we adopted the combined use of the "reciprocity principle of chiral recognition" and nonaqueous ion-pair CE as screening assay. Thus, (S)-atenolol was employed as chiral counter-ion added to the BGE in CE and a series of N-derivatized amino acids and amino phosphonic acids were screened to derive reciprocally information on their chiral recognition abilities for atenolol enantiomers. Two SO candidates, namely N-(3,5-dichlorobenzoyl)-O-allyl-tyrosine and N-(4-allyloxy-3,5-dichlorobenzoyl)-1-amino-3-methylbutane phosphonic acid that have been identified as potential SOs in the CE screening were, after immobilization on thiol-modified silica, evaluated in cation-exchange NA-CEC. The strong chiral cation exchanger with the free phosphonic acid group exhibited enhanced enantioselectivity compared to the weak chiral cation exchanger with the carboxylic acid group. A wide variety of chiral bases could be successfully resolved on the strong chiral cation exchanger with alpha-values up to 2.2 and efficiencies up to 375000 m-1 including beta-blockers and other amino alcohols, local anesthetics like etidocaine, antimalarial agents like mefloquine, Tröger's base, phenothiazines like promethazine, and antihistaminics. The influence of several experimental parameters (electrolyte concentration, acid-base ratio and acetonitrile-methanol ratio) was evaluated.