Isoxazole-3-hydroxamic acid derivatives as peptide deformylase inhibitors and potential antibacterial agents.

A series of isoxazole-3-hydroxamic acid derivatives has been identified as a new class of small, nonpeptidic inhibitors of peptide deformylase (PDF). The synthesis, enzyme inhibition and preliminary investigation of the binding mode of this potential antibacterial compounds are reported.

New approach to biomimetic transamination using bifunctional [1,3]-proton transfer catalysis in thioxanthenyl dioxide imines.

A pyridoxamine equivalent, 9-aminothioxanthene 10,10-dioxide, has been designed that is capable of affording transamination in good to excellent yields of natural as well as artificial amino acids. Amidines and guanidines in catalytic amounts were capable of performing [1,3]-proton transfer in the imines under mild conditions, whereas various simple amines failed. The use of chiral catalysts resulted in modest asymmetric induction (ee < or = 45%).