By a combination of chemical and spectroscopic (XH and 13C NMR)studies the structure of a glycopeptide antibiotic eremomycin has been elucidated. It is closely related to vancomycin, but differs in sugar and chlorine content. The eremomycinaglycone contains monodechlorovancomycinic acid; the only chlorine atom is situated in the second amino acid after the TV-terminal amino acid residue of the peptide. The sugar part is composed of glucose and two residues of an amino sugar shown to be 2,3,6-trideoxy-3-amino-C-3-methyl-L-flraZ?z>2o-hexopyranose (4-

1. Elementary analysis and other properties of a highly purified preparation of bacilysin indicated that a possible molecular formula for the substance is C(12)H(18)N(2)O(5). The results of electrometric titration were consistent with the hypothesis that the substance was a peptide containing one free alpha-amino group and one free carboxyl group. 2. Hydrolysis of bacilysin with 6n-hydrochloric acid at 105 degrees yielded l-alanine and l-tyrosine, but the ultraviolet spectrum of the substance showed that no tyrosine residue was present in the molecule and a nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectrum indicated that olefinic and aromatic protons were absent. The dinitrophenyl (DNP) derivative of bacilysin yielded DNP-alanine on acid hydrolysis. 3. Bacilysin was hydrolysed by leucine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.1.1) and by Pronase to give alanine and an uncharacterized amino acid. Its infrared spectrum was consistent with the presence of a peptide grouping in the molecule. 4. The optical rotatory dispersion of bacilysin and its reaction with thiosemicarbazide indicated that the substance contained an aldehyde or ketone group. Its behaviour on catalytic reduction and its reaction with sodium thiosulphate and with certain thiols suggested that an epoxide group was present. 5. A possible type of structure for bacilysin is considered in the light of its known properties.

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