ELECTROCHEMICAL AMINATION REACTIONS FOR AMINO ACID SYNTHESIS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL BE TO USE ELECTROCHEMICALLY GENERATED HOMOGENEOUS CATALYSTS (TI3+ AND V3+) CAPABLE OF THE IN SITU FORMATION OF AMINYL RADICALS (.NH2) FROM ACIDIC HYDROXYLAMINE ELECTROLYTES WHICH WOULD THEN BE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGO FREE RADICAL ADDITION ONTO 3,4-DIHYDROXYCINNAMIC ACID AND CINAMMIC ACID TO GIVE RESPECTIVELY DL-DOPA AND DL-PHENYLALANINE. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARDS GAINING INSIGHT INTO THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTION MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE DESIRED AMINO ACID SYNTHESES. THIS WILL BE USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RATIONALE FOR THE SELECTION OF ELECTRODE SUBSTRATES (ELECTROCATALYSTS) TOGETHER WITH ELECTRODE AND ELECTROLYTIC CELL GEOMETRIES WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS ACHIEVING HIGH ELECTROCHEMICAL EFFICIENCIES FOR PREPARATION OF THESE AMINO ACIDS. THE ELECTROORGANIC SYNTHESES PRODUCTS, DL-PHENYLALANINE AND DL-DOPA, WILL FIND RESPECTIVE APPLICATIONS IN THE PREPARATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER (NUTRASWEET) AND IN THE TREATMENT OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE. THE UNDERSTANDING OBTAINED DURING THIS PROGRAM ON THE OVERALL ELECTROORGANIC PROCESS WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OBTAINED FROM AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL USING THE ABOVE INSIGHTS.