Liquid chromatographic studies on the aqueous solution conformation of substituted benzamide drug models

The aqueous solution conformation of a series of model benzamides related to the orthopramide dopamine receptor antagonists is evaluated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). The structure-retention relationship studies demonstrate the existence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond formed in aqueous solution for these compounds. The six-membered pseudoring formed by the association of the amide N-H and the oxygen of the 2-methoxy group (N-H...O) produces enhanced reversed-phase retention (increased capacity factors, k') relative to the 3- and 4-isomers. Deletion of either the acceptor oxygen or the donor N-H results in decreased C18 retention of the 2-isomer relative to the 3- and 4-isomers. These structure-retention relationship studies reveal the value of reversed-phase LC methods for evaluation of the aqueous solution conformation of the orthopramide-type compounds. Further studies show that N-substituted 2-hydroxybenzamides are intramolecularly associated in aqueous solution through either N-H...O or O-H...O six-membered rings. The 6-methoxysalicylamides are believed to be stabilized through O-H to carbonyl oxygen bonding in addition to the N-H...O pseudoring. For the 2,6-dimethoxybenzamides, steric factors prevent methoxy-amide coplanarity, thus no intramolecular hydrogen bond is formed. The result is a dramatic decrease in retention for the 2,6-isomer relative to the other positional isomers. These studies suggest that remoxipride and related 2,6-dimethoxybenzamides cannot form the six-membered pseudoring believed to be topographically equivalent to the aromatic ring in dopamine.