Degree Name

MS (Master of Science)

Program

Chemistry

Date of Award

12-2011

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Ismail O. Kady

Committee Members

Jeffrey G. Wardeska, Yu-Lin Jiang

Abstract

Most nuclease enzymes can hydrolyze phosphoester bonds (in DNA and RNA) by using metal ions cofactors that coordinate and activate water molecules in the enzymes' active sites. However, there are some hydrolase enzymes (including nucleases) that can function without the aid of metal ions. 2,6-Di(1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenol, a model compound for hydrolase enzyme, was synthesized by the reaction between ethylenediamine and dimethyl-3-carboxysalicylate, initially resulting in the formation of diimidazoline. The diimidazoline was subsequently aromatized to the diimidazole by dehydrogenation over palladium. The overall reaction yield was low; therefore, other dehydrogenation transformation reactions were tried but all failed to improve the yield. Converting this diimidazolphenol into diimidazolphenyl monophoshpate derivative was attempted but failed to give desired products.

Synthesis of 2,2'-anthracene-1,8-diylbis-1H-imidazole, another model compound for hydrolase enzymes, was attempted using dimethyl-1,8-anthracenedicarboxylate, but synthesis was unsuccessful due to solubility problem.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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