Synthetic Access to Hydrophilic Tetramate Derivatives of Cysteine.

The synthesis, structural, and antibacterial evaluation of bicyclic tetramate derivatives of cysteine rendered hydrophilic with pendant heterocyclic substituents is reported; effective synthetic protocols and antibacterial activity for a small library of polar derivatives were found, and direct evidence for strong metal chelation in these systems was obtained. A computational study has developed a detailed understanding of the controlling factors of the key Dieckmann cyclization step.