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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
Asymmetric Autocatalysis as an Efficient Link Between the Origin of Homochirality and Highly Enantioenriched
Kenso Soai1,2, Tsuneomi Kawasaki3, Arimasa Matsumoto4
1Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8601, Japan. soai@rs.kagu.tus.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Biological homochirality of essential components such as L-amino acids and D-sugars is prerequisite for the emergence, evolution and the maintenance of life. Implication of biological homochirality is described. Considerable interest has been focused on the origin and the process leading to the homochirality. Asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of enantiomeric excess (ee), i.e., the Soai reaction, is capable to link the low ee induced by the proposed origins of chirality such as circularly polarized light and high ee of the organic compound. Absolute asymmetric synthesis without the intervention of any chiral factor was achieved in the Soai reaction.
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