Bakers' yeast cell-free extract was found to reduce 1-acetoxy-2-alkanones to (S)-1-acetoxy-Z-alkanols in 59 - 88% yield and 95 - >99% ee by use of a catalytic amount of NADPH with glucose as a hydride source and without addition of any enzyme for the cofactor regeneration.
Lipase-catalyzed enantiomer selective hydrolysis of 1,2-diol diacetates
Enantiomer selective hydrolysis of racemic 1,2-diol diacetates (rac-2a-h) was investigated by using the inexpensive commercial porcine pancreatic lipase. The hydrolysis proceeds with variable regioselectivity but with moderate to good enantioselectively yielding a mixture of isomeric monoacetates (3a-h and 4a-h) and unchanged diacetate enantiomers (2a-h). Evidence was found that both monoacetates (3a-h and 4a-h) are formed with the same sense of enantiomer selectivity.