The synthesis of six cyclic depsipeptoids inspired by the natural depsipeptide sansalvamide A is described. An efficient and fast synthetic strategy was developed using a combination of consecutive isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions (Ugi and Passerini reactions). This methodology can be used to access a variety of cyclic oligodepsipeptoids.

Lanthanide-induced shfits of (13)C nuclear magnetic resonances are reported for several amines and n-butyl isocyanide. Contact contributions to such shifts, especially of beta carbons, are clearly important for the chelates of Eu(+3) and Pr(+3). The importance of contact terms is shown to change in a rather predictable manner with the structure of the amine.

N-[2-(Cyclohexylamino)-2-oxoethyl]-N-(4-octyloxy)phenyl-prop-2-enamide was prepared in good yield by coupling of 4(octyloxy)aniline, Cyclohexyl isocyanide, paraformaldehyde and acrylic acid by multicomponent Ugi reaction, at room temperature. The structure of the newly synthesized tripeptoid derivative was well characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR and mass spectral data.

A base-controlled synthesis of 2-substituted secondary and tertiary 1H-indole-3-carboxamides through PdCl(2)-catalyzed cyclization of o-alkynyltrifluoroacetanilides followed by isocyanide insertion has been developed. The reaction proceeds smoothly at ambient temperature using O(2) in air as the sole oxidant of the palladium catalyst.

Isocyanide (formerly isonitrile) hydratase (EC 4.2.1.103) is an enzyme of the DJ-1 superfamily that hydrates isocyanides to yield the corresponding N-formamide. In order to understand the structural basis for isocyanide hydratase (ICH) catalysis, we determined the crystal structures of wild-type and several site-directed mutants of Pseudomonas fluorescens ICH at resolutions ranging from 1.0 to ...