Phthalimide as a chromophoric tag in the circular dichroism determination of absolute configuration of α-aminoacid amides and dipeptides. A case of a dipeptide isostructurality

Both N-phthaloyl aminoacid amides and methyl amides as well as N-phthaloyl dipeptide methyl esters give Cotton effects of opposite signs at around 220 and 240 nm. The signs of these Cotton effects are directly correlated with the absolute configuration of the N-phthaloyl substituted stereogenic center: for l-configuration the Cotton effect at 240 nm is positive and the Cotton effect at 220 is negative. The X-ray analysis shows that the diastereomeric l,d and l,l N-phthaloyl alanylvaline methyl esters form isostructural orthorombic crystals due to the conformational flexibility of the molecules and a similar space requirements of the methoxycarbonyl and isopropyl groups.