A New Method for the Preparation of an Intermediate for the Synthesis of Mycolic Acids - Dissertation Example

The Old Method From the old method of synthesis, the myoclonic acid is understood to be made from?-hydroxyl fatty acid that contains long chains of ?-alkyl side chains. These chains often appear as homologous series of the same fatty acids. Notably, they differ by 28 atomic mass units that contain two carbon units as in the case of M. tuberculosis. In the old method of analysis and preparation, the mycolic acids were characterized by hydrophobic C34 to C 65acids with side chains of carbon atoms ranging from C22 to C24 are? chains. From the old synthesis of mycolic acids, three structural mycolic acid classes are found in the M.tuberculosis. These distinct structures include ?-, keto-, and methoxy-mycolic acids. The ?-mycolic acid forms the highest percentage of approximately seventy percent and on the other side methoxy and keto-mycolic form the minor component of the acid mixture. By composition, they form approximately 10 to 15 percent of the mixture. The ?- part of the acid forms the cis and it’s referred to as cis-cyclopropyl fatty acid. This form of fatty acid sets two forms of main structural variation. However, it should be noted these structural variations usually depend on the source of alpha during the acid synthesis.

The variations are usually in terms of terminal alkyl groups while others are in terms of methylene groups. They are found mainly situated between the carboxylic groups and cyclopropane rings. It is worth noting that this arrangement usually makes the ?-mycolic acids from H37Ra strains test for one group while the other set from Brevanne, PN, C, DT, and Canetti form other groups. The ?-mycolic acids from clinical strains are usually different from the ?-mycolic from H37Ra strain. Nonetheless, both methoxyl- and keto-mycolic acids have the same structural series especially in their cis- or trans-cyclopropane rings.