IChO 1976 · Theory problem 4

Four natural nitrogen-containing substances

Four often occurring natural substances have the following summary (empirical) formulas:

\(\ce{C2H5O2N}\) (A) \(\ce{C3H7O2N}\) (C)
\(\ce{C3H7O2N}\) (B) \(\ce{C9H11O2N}\) (D)

The given substances when allowed to react with an alkali hydroxide solution yield alkali salts. However, in a neutral or acidic solution the reaction takes place on the nitrogen atom.

Problems:

4.1 Write structural formulas for the compounds A, B, C, and D.

4.2 Which of the given substances are optically active and which ones are inactive?

4.3 Write the formula of the functional group which is typical of certain natural substances and which is contained also in the product formed by the reaction of two molecules of compound A. Give the name of the natural substances to which belongs the above mentioned product.

4.4 A cyclic organic compound being of technical importance contains also the functional group mentioned in passage 3.

a) Write the structural formula of this cyclic compound.

b) Write the characteristic part of the structural formula of a macromolecular substance that can be obtained from the mentioned compound.

c) Write the characteristic part of the structural formula of an isomeric macromolecular substance that is also technically important.

d) Give the name for the group of compounds to which belong the above mentioned macromolecular substances.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

The following uses the conventional amino-acid assignments, with B as α-alanine and C as β-alanine. These assignments are not uniquely determined by the supplied information. The stereochemical SMILES show the usual natural L forms where applicable.

In fragment SMILES, * marks attachment to the rest of the structure.

  • 4.1
Compound Name Condensed structural formula SMILES
A Glycine \(\ce{H2N-CH2-COOH}\) NCC(=O)O
B α-Alanine; usual natural form: L-(S)-alanine \(\ce{CH3-CH(NH2)-COOH}\) N[C@@H](C)C(=O)O
C β-Alanine, or 3-aminopropanoic acid \(\ce{H2N-CH2-CH2-COOH}\) NCCC(=O)O
D Phenylalanine; usual natural form: L-(S)-phenylalanine \(\ce{C6H5-CH2-CH(NH2)-COOH}\) N[C@@H](Cc1ccccc1)C(=O)O
  • 4.2 B and D are chiral and optically active when nonracemic. A and C are achiral and optically inactive.

  • 4.3 The functional group is the amide, or peptide, linkage, \(\ce{-C(=O)-NH-}\), fragment SMILES *C(=O)N*. Two glycine molecules form glycylglycine, NCC(=O)NCC(=O)O, a dipeptide. Peptides and proteins contain this linkage.

  • 4.4(a) ε-Caprolactam, O=C1CCCCCN1: a seven-membered ring containing one \(\ce{NH}\), five \(\ce{CH2}\) groups, and one carbonyl carbon.

  • 4.4(b) Nylon-6, also called polycaprolactam: \[ \left[\ce{-NH-(CH2)5-CO-}\right]_n. \] Repeat-fragment SMILES: *NCCCCCC(=O)*.

  • 4.4(c) Nylon-6,6, or poly(hexamethylene adipamide): \[ \left[\ce{-NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-}\right]_n. \] Repeat-fragment SMILES: *NCCCCCCNC(=O)CCCCC(=O)*.

  • 4.4(d) Both polymers are polyamides.

Solution

4.1 — Identification and structural formulas

The intended interpretation is that the substances are amino acids, containing an acidic carboxyl group and a basic amino group.

The carboxyl group explains formation of alkali salts. For example, glycine reacts with sodium hydroxide, [Na+].[OH-], to give sodium glycinate, [Na+].NCC(=O)[O-], and water, O:

\[ \ce{H2N-CH2-COOH + NaOH -> H2N-CH2-COONa + H2O}. \]

The amino group can accept a proton. Using the uncharged structural representation, reaction with hydrogen chloride, Cl, gives glycine hydrochloride, [Cl-].[NH3+]CC(=O)O:

\[ \ce{H2N-CH2-COOH + HCl -> [H3N-CH2-COOH]Cl}. \]

These equations describe the acid–base functionality shared by the proposed structures. Near neutral pH, glycine exists predominantly as its zwitterion, [NH3+]CC(=O)[O-]. Consequently, acidification of that zwitterion protonates its carboxylate group; the preceding equation uses the conventional uncharged drawing.

The structural assignments follow as follows:

  • A: A carboxyl group accounts for one carbon and both oxygen atoms. The remaining carbon can bear the amino group, giving aminoacetic acid, glycine, \(\ce{H2N-CH2-COOH}\). Its formula is \(\ce{C2H5O2N}\).
  • B and C: A three-carbon amino acid can have its amino group on carbon 2 or carbon 3, numbering from the carboxyl carbon. These structures are α-alanine and β-alanine, respectively, both with formula \(\ce{C3H7O2N}\).
  • D: The degree of unsaturation, treating the supplied formula as molecular, is \[ \mathrm{DBE}=\frac{2(9)+2+1-11}{2}=5. \] A phenyl ring accounts for four degrees of unsaturation and a carboxyl carbonyl for the fifth. The common natural amino acid phenylalanine, \(\ce{C6H5-CH2-CH(NH2)-COOH}\), has exactly the required formula \(\ce{C9H11O2N}\).

The structural and stereochemical SMILES are given in the answer table.

4.2 — Optical activity

For B, the α-carbon is bonded to four different substituents:

\[ \ce{-NH2},\qquad \ce{-COOH},\qquad \ce{-CH3},\qquad \ce{-H}. \]

For D, the corresponding substituents are:

\[ \ce{-NH2},\qquad \ce{-COOH},\qquad \ce{-CH2-C6H5},\qquad \ce{-H}. \]

Each molecule therefore has one stereogenic carbon and exists as a pair of enantiomers. Their usual natural L forms both have the \(S\) configuration.

In A, the amino-bearing carbon has two identical hydrogen substituents. In C, both noncarbonyl carbons are methylene groups. Neither molecule is chiral.

Thus B and D are capable of optical activity, while A and C are inactive. A racemic sample of B or D would also be optically inactive.

4.3 — Condensation of two molecules of A

Under peptide-forming conditions, the carboxyl group of one glycine molecule combines with the amino group of another, eliminating one water molecule:

\[ \ce{2 H2N-CH2-COOH -> H2N-CH2-CO-NH-CH2-COOH + H2O}. \]

The product is glycylglycine, a dipeptide. The newly formed linkage is

\[ \boxed{\ce{-C(=O)-NH-}}. \]

To draw it, show a carbonyl carbon directly bonded to an \(\ce{NH}\) nitrogen, with the carbonyl carbon and nitrogen each connected to the remaining molecular structure.

This is an amide linkage, called a peptide linkage when it joins amino-acid residues. Glycylglycine belongs to the peptides; the same linkage connects amino-acid residues in proteins.

4.4(a) — The technically important cyclic compound

The intended industrial cyclic amide is ε-caprolactam, O=C1CCCCCN1.

Its ring can be described by the sequence

\[ \ce{-NH-(CH2)5-C(=O)-}, \]

with the carbonyl carbon bonded back to the nitrogen. Thus the ring contains seven atoms: one nitrogen, five methylene carbons, and one carbonyl carbon. The oxygen lies outside the ring.

4.4(b) — Polymer obtained from the cyclic compound

Ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactam gives nylon-6:

\[ \boxed{\left[\ce{-NH-(CH2)5-CO-}\right]_n}. \]

Each repeat contains one amide linkage and five consecutive methylene groups.

For a linear chain with amino and carboxyl end groups, the overall hydrolytic polymerization can be balanced explicitly as

\[ \ce{n C6H11NO + H2O -> H-[NH-(CH2)5-CO]_{n}-OH}, \]

where \(\ce{C6H11NO}\) denotes ε-caprolactam. The terminal \(\ce{H-}\) and \(\ce{-OH}\) complete the amino and carboxyl end groups.

4.4(c) — An isomeric technically important polymer

The corresponding industrial example is nylon-6,6:

\[ \boxed{\left[\ce{-NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-}\right]_n}. \]

It is formed from:

  • Hexane-1,6-diamine, also called hexamethylenediamine, NCCCCCCN;
  • Adipic acid, or hexanedioic acid, O=C(O)CCCCC(=O)O.

For a linear chain formed from \(n\) molecules of each monomer, the balanced condensation is

\[ \begin{aligned} &\ce{n H2N-(CH2)6-NH2 + n HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH}\\ &\qquad\ce{-> H-[NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO]_{n}-OH}\\ &\qquad\quad\ce{+ (2n-1) H2O}. \end{aligned} \]

The \(2n\) monomer molecules are joined by \(2n-1\) amide bonds, releasing \(2n-1\) water molecules.

One nylon-6 repeat has composition \(\ce{C6H11NO}\). Two such repeats therefore have composition \(\ce{C12H22N2O2}\), identical to one nylon-6,6 repeat. Their atomic connectivity differs, explaining the requested isomeric relationship.

4.4(d) — Classification

Both synthetic polymers contain recurring \(\ce{-CO-NH-}\) linkages in their main chains and are therefore polyamides.

The solution was checked against the official solution. Where this solution differs from the official solution, the official solution contains an error or a misprint.