Enzyme catalysed deracemisation and dynamic kinetic resolution reactions.

Area of Science:

• Organic Chemistry
• Biocatalysis
• Asymmetric Synthesis

Background:

• Chiral compounds are crucial in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.
• Producing enantiomerically pure compounds often involves challenging separation or synthesis steps.
• Dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) and deracemisation offer efficient routes to enantiopure compounds from racemic mixtures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel catalysts and reaction conditions for DKR and deracemisation.
• To expand the scope of DKR and deracemisation to various chiral functional groups.
• To establish efficient biocatalytic-chemical strategies for producing enantiopure compounds.

Main Methods:

• Development of new catalysts and optimized reaction conditions.
• Utilisation of enantioselective enzymes in combination with chemical reagents.
• Employing racemisation or recycling strategies for unreactive enantiomers or intermediates.
• In some cases, using a second enzyme (racemase) for substrate interconversion.

Main Results:

• Successful application of DKR and deracemisation to chiral secondary alcohols, alpha-amino acids, amines, and carboxylic acids.
• Demonstration of effective combination of enzymatic and chemical catalysis.
• Development of strategies for efficient racemisation or recycling of intermediates.
• Achieved high enantioselectivity and yields in the tested reactions.

Conclusions:

• The developed methods provide efficient and versatile tools for the deracemisation of various chiral compounds.
• The integration of enzymes with chemical reagents offers a powerful strategy for asymmetric synthesis.
• These advancements facilitate the production of enantiomerically pure compounds, important for various industries.