A NOVEL ENZYME MIMIC FOR THIAZOLIUM-CATALYZED α-KETOACID DECARBOXYLATION
The covalent combination of the thiazolium heterocycle of thiamine with macrotricyclic quaternary ammonium receptor units yields the enzyme mimics 3a,b, which show enhanced substrate selectivity and catalytic activity in decarboxylations of α-ketoacids compared to simpler salts lacking the receptor substructure.