• 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 18  (1) , 33-40
Abstract
The diketopiperazines cyclo-(L-Thr[threonine])2 and cyclo-(L-alloThr)2 in water and in dimethyl sulfoxide were studied by proton and carbon-13 NMR resonance, and the dominant conformations were deduced from proton-proton and proton-carbon coupling constants. In cyclo-(L-Thr)2 the .chi.1 = 60.degree., hydroxyl over the ring, side chain conformation is favored; this conformation is also favored for cyclo-(L-Ser)2 and cyclo-(L-Ser-D-Ser). The important side chain conformation for cyclo-(L-alloThr)2 is .chi.1 = -60.degree., methyl group over the diketopiperazine ring. The determining factors are apparently steric. The diketopiperazine ring of cyclo-(L-Thr)2 is puckered to hold the side chains more nearly axial than is that of cyclo-(L-alloThr)2, although the degree of ring folding is probably not large.