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Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Penams are the primary skeleton structures that define the penicillin subclass of the broader β-lactam family of antibiotics and related compounds. They are bicyclic ring systems containing a β-lactam moiety fused with a five-member thiazolidine ring. [1] Due to ring strain and limitations on amide resonance, the structure is unstable and highly susceptible to catalytic cleavage at the amide bond.[2] Benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) is the natural product parent that contains the penam structure.
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Names | |
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IUPAC name
(5R)-4-thia-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one | |
Other names
1-Aza-7-oxo-4-thiabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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4374479 | |
ChEBI | |
ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
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Properties | |
C5H7NOS | |
Molar mass | 129.18 g·mol−1 |
Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
clavam |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Penams have inflexible structures. The structure is locked in a puckered (i.e. bent) shape due to the pyramidal geometry of the bridgehead nitrogen. The pyramidalization (χ = 54°) and twist of the C-N bond (τ = 18°) is caused by the strain from the lone pair's exclusion from planarity with the cyclic rings and electrostatic repulsion effects. As a result, the distorted C-N bond causes misalignment the orbitals of the carbonyl carbon and the nitrogen lone pair that allow for resonance overlap. The amide C-N bond length is 1.406 Å and displays greater single bond character than in noncyclic tertiary amides. The C-O bond length is 1.205 Å which is shorter than C-O bonds in noncyclic tertiary amides.[3]
Penams are strained due to the angle strain on the four-member β-lactam ring, whose internal bond angles are 90º.[4][3] Consequently, penams are susceptible to acid- and base-catalyzed hydrolysis.[1][4]
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