Various chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll derivatives possessing a magnesium or zinc atom at the central position and a free carboxylic acid group at the C17[Formula: see text]-position, also known as (bacterio)chlorophyllides, were synthesized through a combination of organic synthesis techniques and enzymatic steps. The semi-synthetic (bacterio)chlorophyllides were purified and analyzed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. These free propionic acid-containing chlorophyllous pigments can be useful research materials for the study of (bacterio)chlorophyll metabolisms.
Reactions of thiol with the C 3-vinyl group of various chlorophyll (Chl) derivatives were examined. The reactions resemble thiol-olefin co-oxidation, except that the vinyl C = C double bond was cleaved to afford a formyl group without any transition metal catalyst, and that the simple anti-Markovnikov adduct of thiol to olefin was obtained as a minor product. Peripheral substituents of Chl derivatives little affected the reaction, while the central metal atom of the chlorin macrocycle influenced the composition of the products. Oxygen and acid dissolved in the reaction mixture can facilitate the oxidation. Sufficiently mild conditions in this regioselective oxidation at the C 31-position are significant in bioorganic chemistry.