title: The azaquinone-methide elimination: comparison study of 1,6- and 1,4-eliminations under physiological conditions.
abstract: The azaquinone-methide elimination is a powerful and efficient reaction useful for disassembly of spacers in prodrug systems. We and others have used the spacer-technique to develop dendritic and polymeric self-immolative molecular systems that can disassemble through a domino-like mechanism upon a stimulus event. In this report, we study the disassembly of a system that can disintegrate through para- and ortho-azaquinone-methide eliminations. The disassembly was evaluated with molecules that undergo single 1,6- or 1,4-elimination and with molecules that undergo double 1,6- and 1,4-elimination. The 1,6-elimination was slightly faster than the 1,4-elimination under physiological conditions. This study sheds light on the disassembly-behavior of prodrug systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Rotem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erez
authors.forename: Doron
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shabat
mesh_terms: D045563:Indolequinones / Q000737:chemistry*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010399:Penicillin Amidase / Q000737:chemistry; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000737:chemistry*; D011809:Quinones / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D045563:Indolequinones; D011355:Prodrugs; D011809:Quinones; C527935:o-azaquinone; C068040:quinone methide; D010399:Penicillin Amidase