Mesaconic acid

Synthesis and reactions

It is prepared from citric acid, which is first converted to itaconic anhydride by dehydration and decarboxylation. Itaconic acid anhydride is isomerized to citraconic anhydride, which is hydrolyzed and the resulting acid further isomerized under acid-catalysis to give mesaconic acid.{{cite journal|title=Mesaconic Acid|author=R. L. Shriner |author2=S. G. Ford |author3=L. J. Roll

Hydration of mesaconic acid, a conversion catalyzed by mesaconyl-C4-CoA hydratase, gives citramalic acid.

History

This acid was studied for the first time by Jacobus H. van 't Hoff in 1874. It was later shown to be produced by Clostridium tetanomorphum. Further studies showed that this organic compound is involved in the biosynthesis of vitamin B12. It is a competitive inhibitor of fumarate reduction.{{cite web|title=Barker, Horace Albert|work=The Stadtman Way: The Story of Two Biochemists at NIH|publisher=Office of NIH History|url=http://www.history.nih.gov/exhibits/stadtman/bios.htm#Barker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041025012255/http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/stadtman/bios.htm#Barker |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2004 | access-date = December 21, 2011}}

The compound has been considered as a renewable precursor to the commodity chemical methacrylic acid.

References

References

1. (2011). "Ecological Aspects of the Distribution of Different Autotrophic CO 2 Fixation Pathways". Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
2. "Mesaconic acid".
3. (2004). "H.A. Barker". National Academies Press.
4. Santosh K. Yadav. (2018). "Recent advances in plant-based vinyl ester resins and reactive diluents". European Polymer Journal.