I. The Synthesis of D- and L-Threo- and D- and L-Erythro-α-Amino-β-hydroxy-n-caproic Acids. II. Experiments on the Preparation of α-Aminoalkanesulfonamides. III. The Influence of Nerve Impulse Sequence on the Contractions of Different Crustacean Muscles

Citation

Adams, Robert Train (1950) I. The Synthesis of D- and L-Threo- and D- and L-Erythro-α-Amino-β-hydroxy-n-caproic Acids. II. Experiments on the Preparation of α-Aminoalkanesulfonamides. III. The Influence of Nerve Impulse Sequence on the Contractions of Different Crustacean Muscles. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/BWFC-9S12. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:08292019-160935347

Abstract

The preparation of each of the four optical isomers of α-amino-β-hydroxy-n-caproic acid is described. The configurations of the four optically active amino acids have been deduced on the basis of evidence obtained from the reactions of their N-benzoyl-O-methyl derivatives with p-toluidine in the presence of papain and evidence obtained by oxidative degradation of one of the active α-amino-β-hydroxy-n-caproic acids to an optically active α-hydroxyvaleric acid. The reduction of α-benzamido-β-methoxy-n-caproic acid with lithium aluminum hydride is described.

Experiments directed toward the synthesis of aminomethanesulfonamide and α-aminoethanesulfonamide are reported.

The influence of nerve impulse sequence on the contractions of different crustacean muscles has been investigated by studying the effect of intercalating extra stimuli during stimulation at a low frequency and by studying the effect of changes in the pattern of the stimulating impulses. The effect of impulse-spacing on subsequent facilitation of the contraction has been examined. The results of these investigations are described. The significance of pattern-sensitivity in synaptic structures is discussed.

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