Ezymes are capable of tasks that do not ordinarly happen in the chem lab, like oxidation of aromatics to phenols using O2 or some derivative of O2, deamination of L-phenylalanine acid, ect. It's things like this that lead to me wonderin's about the possible oxidation of eugenol to safrole. I bet it's thermodynamicaly fiesable, O2 oxidations usually are, but is it kineticaly (i.e. with the right enzyme and/or catalyst)?
Anyway I've only had a brief intro to biochemistry through the net, and from my current understanding which is probably wrong, but all aromatics in biology are derived from L-phenylalanine, L-Tyrosine and L-Tryptophan which in turn are derived from shikimic acid.
If this is true, then the way to safrole starts with L-tyrosine. However a quick search using google yields...
http://www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/Chemistry/courseinfo/4thyear/13941.html (http://www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/Chemistry/courseinfo/4thyear/13941.html)
"Sigmatropic rearrangement of chorismate to phenylpropanoids."
So I guess that assumption is wrong, but I did find something which kinda of runs parallel to answering my own question. It points at the possible path way to eugenol from coniferyl alcohol or ferulate.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort640c/secprod/se00017.htm (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort640c/secprod/se00017.htm)
But this is raising more questions for me now, like safrole from caffeic acid?
Second of all, carbon dioxide plus a catechol while biofriendly seems like it would need a ton of pressure and heat, which might lead instead 2-hydroxysalicylic acid derivatives. But getting that ester in mind can be done with phosgene, however reducing esters in general leads to an alcohol and aldehyde. The case with the *catechol carbonic ester*,*benzylene carbonate*? might be different. I still think that reductions would lead to clevage though. Perhaps CS2 could be used instead and a reduction of the resulting (-OC(=S)O-) could be attempted, I don't know.
Wait carbon monoxide, wouldn't that lead to the formate ester? I don't see how the reduction of a catechol formate leads to a methylenedioxybenzene. Reasons?
For that same great taste that'll always wire you up and never let you down, make it a dexedrine.
I finally managed to find a webpage demonstrating the ring formation of a methylenedioxy bridge by mother nature herself, bless her!!
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/reaction/alkaloid/stylopine.html (http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/reaction/alkaloid/stylopine.html)
Now the question is if this way of forming the methylenedioxy bridge is used by the sassafras tree where does this bridge get formed a long the precursor chain? at the very end as in eugenol? ;D one step before the very end as in coniferyl alcohol? :) or even before this, ::) or from isomers of eugenol or coniferyl alcohol, such as 4-methoxy-3-hydroxyallybenzene, and 4-methoxy-3-hydroxycinnamyl alcohol. :(
If safrole did get formed from eugenol this would be great since that means there lies away to oxidize eugenol to safrole without ending up with designer roofing glue. If not vanillic acid and dihydroeugenol could be used for an experiment in ring closer, but it would be more work to get to the final ketone than what it's worth.
As for forced mutations they seem like they would mean work, but would using forced mutation give rise to super safrole producing plants faster than the old growing plants with low safrole concentrations then sniffing out the top ten precent which produce the most, then breeding these only and then repeating? The best thing that could come about all this is a super safrole plant which ends up being a noxious weed taking over continents. ;D
For that same great taste that'll always wire you up and never let you down, make it a dexedrine.
Post 70974 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11707.msg7097400#msg7097400)
(Osmium: "Re: bromosafrole", Novel Discourse) Post 71023 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11707.msg7102300#msg7102300)
(PolytheneSam: "Re: bromosafrole", Novel Discourse) Post 71162 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11707.msg7116200#msg7116200)
(Osmium: "Re: bromosafrole", Novel Discourse)
I think the sassafras oil in the Merck Index is from Sassafras albidum. See also https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/safrolefaq.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/safrolefaq.html)
http://www.geocities.com/dritte123/PSPF.html (http://www.geocities.com/dritte123/PSPF.html)
The hardest thing to explain is the obvious