New Insights into the Cystine-Sulfite Reaction

Abstract

The mechanism by which cysteine-S-sulfate is formed from the reaction of sulfite with cystine in the absence of a dedicated oxidizing agent is investigated using high-resolution NMR. Changes to reactant ratio, pH, UV light exposure and temperature were evaluated to determine the most effective conditions to achieve the maximum yield of cysteine-S-sulfate without recourse to conventional oxidizing reagents. Herein evidence is provided for both nucleophilic and radical mechanisms, by which cysteine-S-sulfate can be generated with yields of up to 96%.

Keywords

• cysteine
• sulfite
• cysteine-S-sulfate
• photochemistry
• mechanism