Phenylpyruvic Acid
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Phenylpyruvic acid is the
organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...
with the formula C6H5CH2C(O)CO2H. It is a
keto acid In organic chemistry, keto acids or ketoacids (also called oxo acids or oxoacids) are organic compounds that contain a carboxylic acid group () and a ketone group ().Franz Dietrich Klingler, Wolfgang Ebertz "Oxocarboxylic Acids" in Ullmann's En ...
.


Occurrence and properties

The compound exists in equilibrium with its (''E'')- and (''Z'')-enol
tautomer In chemistry, tautomers () are structural isomers (constitutional isomers) of chemical compounds that readily interconvert. The chemical reaction interconverting the two is called tautomerization. This conversion commonly results from the reloca ...
s. It is a product from the
oxidative deamination Oxidative deamination is a form of deamination that generates α-keto acids and other oxidized products from amine-containing compounds, and occurs primarily in the liver. Oxidative deamination is stereospecific, meaning it contains different ster ...
of
phenylalanine Phenylalanine (symbol Phe or F) is an essential α-amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . It can be viewed as a benzyl group substituent, substituted for the methyl group of alanine, or a phenyl group in place of a terminal hydrogen of ...
. When the activity of the enzyme
phenylalanine hydroxylase Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) () is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of the aromatic side-chain of phenylalanine to generate tyrosine. PAH is one of three members of the biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, a clas ...
is reduced, the
amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...
phenylalanine Phenylalanine (symbol Phe or F) is an essential α-amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . It can be viewed as a benzyl group substituent, substituted for the methyl group of alanine, or a phenyl group in place of a terminal hydrogen of ...
accumulates and gets converted into phenylpyruvic acid (phenylpyruvate), which leads to ' Phenylketonuria (PKU)' instead of 'tyrosine' which is the normal product of phenylalanine hydroxylase.


Preparation and reactions

It can be prepared by many methods. Classically it is produced from aminocinnamic acid derivatives. It has been prepared by condensation of
benzaldehyde Benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is among the simplest aromatic aldehydes and one of the most industrially useful. It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic almond-li ...
and
glycine Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid. Glycine is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. It is encoded by all the codons starting with GG (G ...
derivatives to give phenylazlactone, which is then hydrolyzed with acid- or base-catalysis. It can also be synthesized from
benzyl chloride Benzyl chloride, or α-chlorotoluene, is an organic compound with the formula . This colorless liquid is a reactive organochlorine compound that is a widely used chemical building block. Preparation Benzyl chloride is prepared industrially ...
by double
carbonylation In chemistry, carbonylation refers to reactions that introduce carbon monoxide (CO) into organic and inorganic substrates. Carbon monoxide is abundantly available and conveniently reactive, so it is widely used as a reactant in industrial chemis ...
.
Reductive amination Reductive amination (also known as reductive alkylation) is a form of amination that converts a carbonyl group to an amine via an intermediate imine. The carbonyl group is most commonly a ketone or an aldehyde. It is a common method to make amine ...
of phenylpyruvic acid gives
phenylalanine Phenylalanine (symbol Phe or F) is an essential α-amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . It can be viewed as a benzyl group substituent, substituted for the methyl group of alanine, or a phenyl group in place of a terminal hydrogen of ...
.


See also

* Phenylpyruvate decarboxylase * Phenylpyruvate tautomerase *
Phenylketonuria Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism that results in decreased metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine. Untreated PKU can lead to intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral problems, and mental disorders. It may also r ...


References

{{Reflist Alpha-keto acids Benzyl compounds