Recent lipase-catalyzed hydrolytic approaches to pharmacologically important β- and γ-amino acids

Kinetic and sequential kinetic enzymatic routes for the synthesis of enantiomeric β- and γ-amino acids through enzymatic ring cleavage of the corresponding lactams in organic solvents or solvent-free systems or a supercritical CO(2) medium, and for the enantioselective hydrolysis of the corresponding amino esters in organic solvents are reviewed. In the frame of a practical guide, a simple and rapid GC enantioseparation technique for amino acids, including exact descriptions of selected enzymatic reactions, is additionally presented.