dekarboxylerer

Dekarboxylering, or decarboxylation, is the chemical process in which a carboxyl group is removed from an organic molecule as carbon dioxide. The verb form dekarboxylerer is used in some Nordic languages to describe performing this reaction on a substrate.

In organic chemistry, decarboxylation often occurs when carboxylic acids are heated or subjected to catalytic conditions. Beta-keto acids decarboxylate spontaneously to yield ketones. Malonic esters can be converted to aldehydes or ketones after hydrolysis and heating via decarboxylation. The Kolbe decarboxylation and the Hunsdiecker reaction are classic methods where the carboxyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen or a halogen, respectively.

In biochemistry, decarboxylation is typically enzyme-catalyzed and essential to metabolism. Decarboxylases remove carboxyl groups as CO2 from amino acids, producing amines (for example, glutamate decarboxylase). In cellular respiration, CO2 is released in several steps of the Krebs cycle, such as isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate and α-ketoglutarate to succinyl-CoA, and pyruvate is decarboxylated to form acetyl-CoA by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

Applications and considerations: Decarboxylation can drive reactions by gas evolution and is used in synthetic routes to modify carbon skeletons. It also plays a role in flavor formation, biosynthesis, and energy metabolism. Reaction conditions and catalysts depend on the substrate.