Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
09:16
Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene
Published on: May 20, 2019
8.2K
Natural Products Containing a Nitrogen-Sulfur Bond
Janusz J Petkowski1, William Bains2, Sara Seager1,3
1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
Journal of Natural Products
|January 25, 2018
Summary
This review categorizes natural products with nitrogen-sulfur (N-S) bonds, exploring their sources, activities, and biosynthesis. It also examines N-S bonds in protein post-translational modifications and cellular metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Nitrogen-sulfur (N-S) bonds are rare in natural products, with only about 100 known examples.
- Understanding the structural diversity and biological relevance of N-S compounds is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and categorize known natural products containing N-S bonds.
- To compile information on their biological sources, activities, and biosynthetic pathways.
- To explore the role of N-S bonds in protein post-translational modifications and cellular metabolism.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and data compilation.
- Structural classification of N-S bond-containing compounds.
- Analysis of reported biological activities and biosynthetic pathways.
Main Results:
- Categorization of N-S compounds into distinct structural classes.
- Summary of known biological sources and activities for these compounds.
- Discussion of N-S bonds as post-translational modifications in proteins and peptides.
Conclusions:
- N-S bond-containing natural products represent a unique and underexplored chemical space.
- These compounds and their modifications play significant roles in cellular metabolism and biological activity.
Related Concept Videos
02:30Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
7.1K
Chirality is most prevalent in carbon-based tetrahedral compounds, but this important facet of molecular symmetry extends to sp3-hybridized nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur centers, including trivalent molecules with lone pairs. Here, the lone pair behaves as a functional group in addition to the other three substituents to form an analogous tetrahedral center that can be chiral.
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
7.1K
01:22The Sulfur Cycle
52.1K
Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual...
52.1K
02:49Bond Energies and Bond Lengths
31.6K
Stable molecules exist because covalent bonds hold the atoms together. The strength of a covalent bond is measured by the energy required to break it, that is, the energy necessary to separate the bonded atoms. Separating any pair of bonded atoms requires energy — the stronger a bond, the greater the energy required to break it.
31.6K
01:49The Nitrogen Cycle
60.8K
Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
60.8K
02:43Peptide Bonds
83.7K
A peptide bond covalently attaches amino acids through a dehydration reaction. One amino acid's carboxyl group and another amino acid's amino group combine, releasing a water molecule. The resulting bond is the peptide bond. The products that such linkages form are peptides. As more amino acids join this growing chain, the resulting chain is a polypeptide. Each polypeptide has a free amino group at one end. This end has the N-terminal, or the amino-terminal, and the other end has a free...
83.7K
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
24.5K
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
24.5K