title: Stereoselective nucleophilic substitution of oxazepam and racemization in acidic methanol and ethanol.
abstract: Enantiomeric and racemic oxazepam (OX), 3-O-methyloxazepam (MeOX), and 3-O-ethyloxazepam (EtOX) were used to study racemization, heteronucleophilic, and homonucleophilic substitution reactions in anhydrous acidic methanol and ethanol. Kinetics of racemization and nucleophilic substitution reactions in nondeuterated and deuterated solvents were determined by circular dichroism spectropolarimetry, chiral stationary phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), reversed-phase HPLC, and mass spectrometry. Several reactions occurred when (S)-OX, for example, was dissolved in acidic methanol: (1) (S)-OX itself underwent spontaneous racemization, (2) the 3-hydroxyl group of (S)-OX was stereoselectively substituted by the methoxy group of methanol to form MeOX enriched in (S)-MeOX, and (3) the 3-methoxy group of (R)-MeOX was stereoselectively substituted by the methoxy group of methanol to form MeOX enriched in (S)-MeOX, and (4) the 3-methoxy group of (R)-MeOX was stereoselectively substituted by the methoxy group of methanol to form MeOX enriched in (R)-MeOX. Repetitive reactions 3 and 4 eventually resulted in a racemic MeOX. Similar reactions occurred for an enantiomeric OX in acidic ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shou
mesh_terms: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D000431:Ethanol; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D000432:Methanol; D010076:Oxazepam / Q000737:chemistry*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000431:Ethanol; D010076:Oxazepam; D000432:Methanol