title: Formation and instability of o-phthalaldehyde derivatives of amino acids.
abstract: o-Phthalaldehyde reacts with amino acids in the presence of a thiol to give highly fluorescent 1-alkyl-thio-2-alkyl-substituted isoindoles. However, the instability of the derivatives limits the general utility of the reaction. Mechanistic descriptions of isoindole formation and degradation proposed in the last years, which permit a better understanding of the factors affecting isoindole stability, are presented. The use of alternative thiols and o-phthalaldehyde-like reagents is also reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: García Alvarez-Coque
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Medina Hernández
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Villanueva Camañas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mongay Fernández
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000378:metabolism*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism*; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D000596:Amino Acids; D007211:Indoles; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde