In Situ Acetaldehyde Synthesis for Carboligation Reactions

The enzyme 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4-OT) can promiscuously catalyze various carboligation reactions using acetaldehyde as a nucleophile. However, the highly reactive nature of acetaldehyde requires intricate handling, which can impede its usage in practical synthesis. Therefore, we investigated three enzymatic routes to synthesize acetaldehyde in situ in one-pot cascade reactions with 4-OT. Two routes afforded practical acetaldehyde concentrations, using an environmental pollutant, trans-3-chloroacrylic acid, or a bio-renewable, ethanol, as starting substrate. These routes can be combined with 4-OT catalyzed Michael-type additions and aldol condensations in one pot. This modular systems biocatalysis methodology provides a stepping stone towards the development of larger artificial metabolic networks for the practical synthesis of important chemical synthons.