N",N0-Diacylhydrazities have been prepared successfully from hydrazides and acylated amino acids by papain catalysis. In every reaction where racemic acylated amino acids were employed, resolution occurred. The optimum pH for the reaction between benzhydrazide and hippuric acid ivas about 4. Twenty-six new diacylhydrazines were prepared. In the reaction between DL-mandelic hydrazide and hippuric acid no resolution occurred, but a racemic product resulted. An attempted partial asymmetric synthesis in the reaction between ethylmalonic hydrazide and carbobenzoxyglycine was not successful, but this reaction likewise gave a racemic product.

Papain as an Enzyme Catalyst in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Papain has become a well-known commodity on the American market in recent years because of its meat tenderizing activity. To the chemist, this is known to be a consequence of the ability of this enzyme to catalyze the hydrolysis of special types of amide linkages, particularly those involved in polypeptides of protein molecules. Also, papain catalyzes the hydrolysis of other peptide-like bonds and esters of amido acids. The origin of the enzyme is the papaya