Crystallization Assisted Dynamic Kinetic Resolution for the Synthesis of (R)-ß-Methylphenethylamine.

This study explores a combination of the concept of enantioselective enzymatic synthesis of ß-chiral amines through transamination with in situ product crystallization (ISPC) to overcome product inhibition. Using 2-phenylpropanal as a readily available and easily racemizing substrate of choice, (R)-ß-methylphenethylamine ((R)-2-phenylpropan-1-amine) concentrations of up to 250 mM and enantiomeric excesses of up to 99 % are achieved when using a commercially available transaminase from Ruegeria pomeroyi in a fed-batch based dynamic kinetic resolution reaction on preparative scale. The source of substrate decomposition during the reaction is also investigated and the resulting unwanted byproduct formation is successfully reduced to insignificant levels.

Chemoenzymatic Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyridine-Based α-Fluorinated Secondary Alcohols.

Fluoro-substituted and heteroaromatic compounds are valuable intermediates for a variety of applications in pharma- and agrochemistry and synthetic chemistry. This study investigates the chemoenzymatic preparation of chiral alcohols bearing a heteroaromatic ring with an increasing degree of fluorination in α-position. Starting from readily available picoline derivatives prochiral α-halogenated acyl moieties were introduced with excellent selectivity and 64-95 % yield. The formed carbonyl group was subsequently reduced to the corresponding alcohols using the alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus kefir, yielding an enantiomeric excess of 95->99 % and up to 98 % yield.

Application of In Situ Product Crystallization and Related Techniques in Biocatalytic Processes.

This Minireview highlights the application of crystallization as a very powerful in situ product removal (ISPR) technique in biocatalytic process design. Special emphasis is placed on its use for in situ product crystallization (ISPC) to overcome unfavorable thermodynamic reaction equilibria, inhibition, and undesired reactions. The combination of these unit operations requires an interdisciplinary perspective to find a holistic solution for the underlying bioprocess intensification approach. Representative examples of successful integrated process options are selected, presented, and assessed regarding their overall productivity and applicability. In addition, parallels to the use of adsorption as a very similar technique are drawn and similarities discussed.

Enantioselective synthesis of cyanohydrins catalysed by hydroxynitrile lyases - a review.

The first enantioselective synthesis was the selective addition of cyanide to benzaldehyde catalysed by a hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL). Since then these enzymes have been developed into a reliable tool in organic synthesis. HNLs to prepare either the (R)- or the (S)-enantiomer of the desired cyanohydrin are available and a wide variety of reaction conditions can be applied. As a result of this, numerous applications of these enzymes in organic synthesis have been described. Here the examples of the last decade are summarised, the enzyme catalysed step is discussed and the follow-up chemistry is shown. This proves HNLs to be part of main stream organic synthesis. Additionally the newest approaches via immobilisation and reaction engineering are introduced.

Increasing the reaction rate of hydroxynitrile lyase from Hevea brasiliensis toward mandelonitrile by copying active site residues from an esterase that accepts aromatic esters.

The natural substrate of hydroxynitrile lyase from rubber tree (HbHNL, Hevea brasiliensis) is acetone cyanohydrin, but synthetic applications usually involve aromatic cyanohydrins such as mandelonitrile. To increase the activity of HbHNL toward this unnatural substrate, we replaced active site residues in HbHNL with the corresponding ones from esterase SABP2 (salicylic acid binding protein 2). Although this enzyme catalyzes a different reaction (hydrolysis of esters), its natural substrate (methyl salicylate) contains an aromatic ring. Three of the eleven single-amino-acid-substitution variants of HbHNL reacted more rapidly with mandelonitrile. The best was HbHNL-L121Y, with a kcat 4.2 times higher and high enantioselectivity. Site-saturation mutagenesis at position 121 identified three other improved variants. We hypothesize that the smaller active site orients the aromatic substrate more productively.

(R)-Baclofen [(R)-4-amino-3-(4-chloro-phen-yl)butanoic acid].

This article provides the first single-crystal XRD-based structure of enanti-opure (R)-baclofen (form C), C10H12ClNO2, without any co-crystallized substances. In the enanti-opure title compound, the mol-ecules arrange themselves in an ortho-rhom-bic crystal structure (space group P212121). In the crystal, strong hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯Cl bonds inter-connect the zwitterionic mol-ecules.

(3R*,5'S*)-6,7-Dimeth-oxy-3-(4'-meth-oxy-6'-methyl-5',6',7',8'-tetra-hydro-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinolin-5'-yl)isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (racemic α-noscapine).

In the racemic title compound, C(22)H(23)NO(7), the dihedral angle between the fused ring systems is 51.87 (6)°. Two of the meth-oxy groups are disordered over two orientations in 0.688 (5):0.312 (5) and 0.672 (15):0.328 (15) ratios. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯O inter-actions link the mol-ecules.

Integration of ion exchange resin materials for a downstream-processing approach of an imine reductase-catalyzed reaction.

In this study, an ion exchange resin-based downstream-processing concept for imine reductase (IRED)-catalyzed reactions was investigated. As a model reaction, 2-methylpyrroline was converted to its corresponding product (S)-2-methylpyrrolidine with >99% of conversion by the (S)-selective IRED from Paenibacillus elgii B69. Under optimized reaction conditions full conversion was achieved using a substrate concentration of 150 and 500 mmol/L of d-glucose. Seven commercially available cation- and anion-exchange resins were studied with respect to their ability to recover the product from the reaction solution. Without any pretreatment, cation-exchange resins Amberlite IR-120(H), IRN-150, Dowex Monosphere 650C, and Dowex Marathon MSC showed high recovery capacities (up to >90%). A 150-ml preparative scale reaction was performed yielding ~1 g hydrochloride salt product with >99% purity. Any further purification steps, for example, by column chromatography or recrystallization, were not required.

Development of Ionic Liquid-Water-Based Thermomorphic Solvent (TMS)-Systems for Biocatalytic Reactions.

The applicability of ionic liquid-water-based thermomorphic solvent (TMS)-systems with an upper critical solution temperature for homogeneous biocatalysis is investigated. Cholinium- and imidazolium-based ionic liquids are used to facilitate a temperature-dependent phase change, which can be easily fine-tuned by adding salts or polar organic solvents. Within the TMS-system, a high enzymatic activity and subsequent full conversion is achieved in the intermittent monophasic reaction system of the TMS-system. Therefore, the biocatalyst can be easily recycled after separating the phases at lower temperatures.

Characterization and application of chemical-resistant polyurethane-based enzyme and whole cell compartments.

This study presents the preparation and physical-chemical characterization of chemical resistant polyurethane-based compartments for biocatalytic application. The artificial compartments were prepared from an emulsion of polymer precursor and an aqueous phase that includes a biocatalytic reaction system. After curing, highly dispersed aqueous domains were obtained, which still contain the entire biocatalytic reaction system and remain fixed in the solid polymer preparation. The tensile and compression behavior of the prepared polymeric material is not significantly affected by the incorporation and facilitates excellent stability against various organic solvents and acid solutions. Thereby, the compartments can be used not only for enantioselective alcohol-dehydrogenase catalyzed reduction but also for a whole cell catalyzed hydrolysis of esters. Moreover, the compartmented whole-cell system was considerably stable to allow multiple reuses without a noticeable loss of catalytic activity of the incorporated whole cell catalytic reaction system.

Recent developments in biocatalysis in multiphasic ionic liquid reaction systems.

Ionic liquids are well known and frequently used 'designer solvents' for biocatalytic reactions. This review highlights recent achievements in the field of multiphasic ionic liquid-based reaction concepts. It covers classical biphasic systems including supported ionic liquid phases, thermo-regulated multi-component solvent systems (TMS) and polymerized ionic liquids. These powerful concepts combine unique reaction conditions with a high potential for future applications on a laboratory and industrial scale. The presence of a multiphasic system simplifies downstream processing due to the distribution of the catalyst and reactants in different phases.

Preparation and Characterization of Enzyme Compartments in UV-Cured Polyurethane-Based Materials and Their Application in Enzymatic Reactions.

The preparation and characterization of UV-cured polyurethane-based materials for the mild inclusion immobilization of enzymes was investigated. Full curing of the polymer precursor/enzyme solution mixture was realized by a short irradiation with UV-light at ambient temperatures. The included aqueous enzyme solution remains highly dispersed in the polymer material with an even size distribution throughout the polymer material. The presented concept provides stable enzyme compartments which were applied for an alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed reduction reaction in organic solvents. Cofactor regeneration was achieved by a substrate-coupled approach via 2-propanol or an enzyme-coupled approach by a glucose dehydrogenase. This reaction concept can also be used for a simultaneous application of contrary biocatalytic reaction conditions within an enzymatic cascade reaction. Independent polymer-based reaction compartments were provided for two incompatible enzymatic reaction systems (alcohol dehydrogenase and hydroxynitrile lyase), while the relevant reactants diffuse between the applied compartments.

Enantiomeric 3-chloromandelic acid system: binary melting point phase diagram, ternary solubility phase diagrams and polymorphism.

A systematic study of binary melting point and ternary solubility phase diagrams of the enantiomeric 3-chloromandelic acid (3-ClMA) system was performed under consideration of polymorphism. The melting point phase diagram was measured by means of thermal analysis, that is, using heat-flux differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results reveal that 3-ClMA belongs to the racemic compound-forming systems. Polymorphism was found for both the enantiomer and the racemate as confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The ternary solubility phase diagram of 3-ClMA in water was determined between 5 and 50 degrees C by the classical isothermal technique. The solubilities of the pure enantiomers are extremely temperature-dependent. The solid-liquid equilibria of racemic 3-ClMA are not trivial due to the existence of polymorphism. The eutectic composition in the chiral system changes as a function of temperature. Further, solubility data in the alternative solvent toluene are also presented.

Uneven twins: comparison of two enantiocomplementary hydroxynitrile lyases with alpha/beta-hydrolase fold.

Hydroxynitrile lyases (HNLs) are applied in technical processes for the synthesis of chiral cyanohydrins. Here we describe the thorough characterization of the recently discovered R-hydroxynitrile lyase from Arabidopsis thaliana and its S-selective counterpart from Manihot esculenta (MeHNL) concerning their properties relevant for technical applications. The results are compared to available data of the structurally related S-HNL from Hevea brasiliensis (HbHNL), which is frequently applied in technical processes. Whereas substrate ranges are highly similar for all three enzymes, the stability of MeHNL with respect to higher temperature and low pH-values is superior to the other HNLs with alpha/beta-hydrolase fold. This enhanced stability is supposed to be due to the ability of MeHNL to form tetramers in solution, while HbHNL and AtHNL are dimers. The different inactivation pathways, deduced by means of circular dichroism, tryptophan fluorescence and static light scattering further support these results. Our data suggest different possibilities to stabilize MeHNL and AtHNL for technical applications: whereas the application of crude cell extracts is appropriate for MeHNL, AtHNL is stabilized by addition of polyols. In addition, the molecular reason for the inhibition of MeHNL and HbHNL by acetate could be elucidated, whereas no such inhibition was observed with AtHNL.

Hydroxynitrile lyase catalyzed cyanohydrin synthesis at high pH-values.

The application of unusual high pH-values within enzymatic cyanohydrin synthesis has been investigated. Usually enzymatic cyanohydrin synthesis in two-phase systems requires low pH-values within the aqueous phase to suppress the non-enzymatic side reaction. In contrast, we investigated the usage of pH-values above pH 6 by using the highly enantioselective (S)-selective hydroxynitrile lyase from Manihot esculenta. With these unusual reaction conditions also the unfavorable substrate 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde can be converted by the wild type enzyme with excellent conversion and enantiomeric excess yielding pure (S)-3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde cyanohydrin with an enantiomeric excess of 97%. Although the variant MeHNL-W128A shows a higher activity with respect to this reaction, the enantioselectivity was reduced (85% e.e.(S)). Additionally, a new continuous spectroscopic cyanohydrin assay monitoring the formation of 3-phenoxy-benzaldehyde cyanohydrin was developed.