Camphorsulfonic acid, sometimes abbreviated CSA or 10-CSA is an

organosulfur compound Organosulfur compounds are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature abounds with organosulfur compounds—sulfu ...

. Like typical

sulfonic acid In organic chemistry, sulfonic acid (or sulphonic acid) refers to a member of the class of organosulfur compounds with the general formula , where R is an organic alkyl or aryl group and the group a sulfonyl hydroxide. As a substituent, it is kn ...

s, it is a relatively strong acid that is a colorless solid at room temperature and is soluble in water and a wide variety of organic substances. This compound is commercially available. It can be prepared by sulfonation of

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

with

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

and

acetic anhydride Acetic anhydride, or ethanoic anhydride, is the chemical compound with the formula (CH3CO)2O. Commonly abbreviated Ac2O, it is the simplest isolable anhydride of a carboxylic acid and is widely used as a reagent in organic synthesis. It is a col ...

: :

Although this reaction appears to be a sulfonation of an unactivated methyl group, the actual mechanism is believed to involve a retro-

semipinacol rearrangement The semipinacol rearrangement is a rearrangement reaction in organic chemistry involving a heterosubstituted alcohol of the type R1R2(HO)C–C(X)R3R4. The hetero substituent can be a halogen (Cl, Br, I), a tosylate, a mesylate or a thiol group. Th ...

, deprotonation next to the tertiary carbocation to form an alkene, sulfonation of the alkene intermediate, and finally, semipinacol rearrangement to re-establish the ketone function. In

organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...

, CSA and its derivatives can be used as resolving agents for chiral amines and other cations. The synthesis of

osanetant Osanetant (developmental code name SR-142,801) is a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist which was developed by Sanofi-Synthélabo and was being researched for the treatment of schizophrenia but was discontinued. It was the first non-peptide NK3 ant ...

was an example of this. 3-bromocamphor-8-sulfonic acid was used in the synthesis of enantiopure

devazepide Devazepide (L-364,718, MK-329) is benzodiazepine drug, but with quite different actions from most benzodiazepines, lacking affinity for GABAA receptors and instead acting as an CCKA receptor antagonist. It increases appetite and accelerates ga ...

. Camphorsulfonic acid is also being used for the synthesis of

quinolines Quinoline is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C9H7N. It is a colorless hygroscopic liquid with a strong odor. Aged samples, especially if exposed to light, become yellow and later brown. Quinoline is only sli ...

. Camphorsulfonic acid is used in some pharmaceutical formulations, where is it referred to as camsilate or camsylate, including trimetaphan camsilate and lanabecestat camsylate. Some studies (c.f. Lednicer) support that D-CSA was used for the resolution of

Chloramphenicol Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes use as an eye ointment to treat conjunctivitis. By mouth or by injection into a vein, it is used to treat meningitis, plague, cholera, a ...

References

{{reflist Sulfonic acids