Question

Naturally occurring compounds called terpenoids, which we’ll discuss in section27-5, are biosynthesized by a pathway that involves loss of carbon dioxide from 3-phosphomevalonate 5-diphosphate to yield isopentenyl diphosphate. Use curved arrows to show the mechanism of this reaction.

Short answer

The mechanism for the conversion of 3-phosphomevalonate 5-diphosphate into isopentenyl diphosphate using curved arrows is

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Definition of mechanism

The sequence of elementary steps by which a chemical reaction occurs is defined as mechanism

Mechanism for the conversion of 3-phosphomevalonate 5-diphosphate into isopentenyl diphosphate

The formation of isopentenyl diphosphate from 3-phosphomevalonate 5-diphosphate requires the elimination of carbon dioxide and phosphate ion

This requirement is achieved by the shift of electrons from the carboxylate anion towards the carbon carrying the phosphate ion

The mechanism for the conversion of 3-phosphomevalonate 5-diphosphate into isopentenyl diphosphate using curved arrows is shown below