Organic compounds, such as precursors for aryl ethylamines such as ephedrine, aryl propylamines such as fluoxetine and propionic acid derivatives such as ibuprofen, naproxen and fenoprofen, are subjected to a yeast mediated reduction conducted in the absence of a solvent. The yeast is moistened with water and contacted with the organic compound. The yeast may then be contacted with an organic solvent to dissolve the product of the reaction into the solvent, and a solid/liquid separation used to separate the product from the yeast.
Nitrile biotransformations for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched β2-, and β3-hydroxy and -alkoxy acids and amides, a dramatic O-substituent effect of the substrates on enantioselectivity
作者:Da-You Ma、De-Xian Wang、Jie Pan、Zhi-Tang Huang、Mei-Xiang Wang
DOI:10.1016/j.tetasy.2008.01.017
日期:2008.2
Rhodococcus erythropolis AJ270, a nitrile hydratase/amidase-containing microbial whole cell catalyst, is able to catalyze the hydrolysis of a number of P-hydroxy and beta-alkoxy nitriles under very mild conditions. Both the efficiency and enantio selectivity of the biocatalysis. however, were strongly dependent upon the structures of both nitrile and amide substrates. When biotransformations of racemic 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionitrile and 2-hydroxymethyl-3-phenylpropionitrile gave low enantioselectivity, their O-methylated isomers underwent highly efficient and enantio selective biocatalytic reactions to afford highly enantioenriched beta(2)- and beta(3)-hydroxy amide and acid derivatives in excellent yield. The study has provided an example of simple and very convenient substrate engineering method to increase the enantioselectivity of the biocatalytic reaction. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.