5-Hexylidene-4-propylamino-1,5-dihydroimidazol-2-one formed from Cu-catalyzed oxidation with implication for the structure of a His-Lys cross-link

Cu-catalyzed oxidation of 5-hexyl-1,3-dihydroimidazo-2-one (1) in the presence of propylamine, as surrogates for the oxidized His side chain and Lys side chain, was investigated. 5-Hexylidene-4-propylamino-1,5-dihydroimidazol-2-one (2), a model His-Lys cross-link product, was isolated and structurally characterized by NMR and mass spectrometry.