Transesterification of phenylalanine by means of chymotrypsin in a continuous fixed bed reactor

An enzymic transesterification was carried out in a continuously operated fixed bed reactor. The reaction system consisted of immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin (E.C. 3.4.21.1) catalysing the transfer of the L-phenylalanine radical from the racemic propyl ester to 1,4-butanediol, yielding L-phenylalanine 4-hydroxybutyl ester. The desired reaction was accompanied by alcoholysis due to the presence of 1-propanol liberated during the reaction and by hydrolysis of both the propyl and the hydroxybutyl ester. The problem of shifting pH during the reaction due to ester hydrolysis was overcome by adjusting the initial pH of the substrate feed solution appropriately in order to obtain a sufficiently high buffer capacity provided by the free amino group of the esters. Thus, it was possible to work with shifting pH, an obvious disadvantage for operating reactors of low backmixing for this kind of reaction system. The overall reaction scheme was characterized by the appearance of a maximum ester yield as a function of the operating time in case of batch reactors. Surprisingly, the yield was found to become constant as a function of space-time for continuous operation due to a steeper pH drop. The maximum productivity achieved with respect to the hydroxybutyl ester was about 65 mol d-1 l-1 referred to the catalyst volume.