The hydrolysis of some N-acylaspartic and N-acylglutamic monoamides in dilute mineral acid.

The release of ammonia by hydrolysis of N-benzoyl-L-asparagine, glycyl-DL-asparagine, L-asparagine, and succinamic acid, and of aniline from N-benzoyl-L-glutamic-alpha-anilide, N-benzoyl-L-aspartic-alpha-anilide, L-aspartic-alpha-anilide, and the monoanilides of succinic and glutaric acids is first-order with respect to substrate in dilute (0.4-0.03 M) aqueous hydrochloric acid at 100 degrees C. The first-order rate constants (kobs) for these reactions can be expressed as kobs = kintra + k2[H+]. The above hydrolyses are used as models for developing a tentative mechanism to account for the selective release of aspartic acid from proteins under these condiditons. The data are also used to suggest reasons why glutamic acid is not released with equal facility.