A Protometabolic One-Pot Synthesis of Orotate and Pyruvate
Department, Center, or Institute
Chemistry
Presentation Format
Department Organized Oral Session
Presentation Type
On-campus research
Description
A reaction between two glycine derivatives generates both the nucleobase orotate, a precursor of biological pyrimidines, and pyruvate, a core metabolite in the citric acid cycle and amino acid biosynthesis. The reaction proceeds in water at mild pH and temperature to provide significant yields of the two widely divergent chemical motifs. Thio substitution within the orotate ring enables the generation of nucleoside derivatives. The identification of compatible reactants and conditions that provide multiple building blocks may increase the plausibility of complex biopolymers emerging early in a protometabolism.
Department Organized Oral Session Title
Undergraduate Chemistry Research
Moderator/Professor
Timothy Hanks, Chemistry
Session Number
3
Start Date and Time
4-9-2019 1:45 PM
Location
Patrick Lecture Room, Plyler Hall 126
Recommended Citation
Cooke, Rachel; Clay, Alyssa; and Springsteen, Greg, "A Protometabolic One-Pot Synthesis of Orotate and Pyruvate" (2019). Furman Engaged!. 379.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furmanengaged/2019/all/379
A Protometabolic One-Pot Synthesis of Orotate and Pyruvate
Patrick Lecture Room, Plyler Hall 126
A reaction between two glycine derivatives generates both the nucleobase orotate, a precursor of biological pyrimidines, and pyruvate, a core metabolite in the citric acid cycle and amino acid biosynthesis. The reaction proceeds in water at mild pH and temperature to provide significant yields of the two widely divergent chemical motifs. Thio substitution within the orotate ring enables the generation of nucleoside derivatives. The identification of compatible reactants and conditions that provide multiple building blocks may increase the plausibility of complex biopolymers emerging early in a protometabolism.