Carboxylate ion participation in the alkaline hydrolysis of an epoxide. Revision of the absolute configuration of a methylcitric acid
Abstract
The hydrolytic opening of the epoxide ring of (5b) under alkaline conditions proceeds via a β-lactone according to Scheme 2; one of the methylcitric acids obtained in the citrate synthase reaction possesses the stereostructure (3) and not, as previously published, structure (2).