Condensation of vaporous amino acids in the presence of silica. Formation of bi- and tricyclic amidines.

Amino acids (alanine, valine, norvaline, leucine, and 2-aminoisobutyric acid) were subjected to repeated (5-9 times) sublimation in the presence of silica at temperature of 220-240 degrees C. The major amino acid condensation products were diketopiperazines (DKPs) in yields of 27-89%. Mixtures of by-products have been isolated from the DKPs by means of chloroform extraction. On the basis of fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric studies of the mixtures it is proposed that under these conditions further dehydration proceeds resulting in bicyclic (BCA) and tricyclic (TCA) amidine derivatives of DKPs; the BCA formation has been confirmed by means of IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy in the case of 2-aminoisobutyric acid. During the sublimation, thermal destruction of the cyclic products was also observed accompanied by the cycle degradation and cleavage of alkyl substituents. The BCAs and TCAs are considered as possible sources of linear di- and tripeptides.