Some recent developments in the use of enzyme catalysed reactions in organic synthesis.
The following processes are discussed in this article: enzyme-catalysed hydrolyses of carboxylic acid esters and amides, phosphate esters, nitriles and epoxides; esterification and inter-esterification reactions catalysed by enzymes; reduction of ketones to secondary alcohols using whole-cell systems or isolated dehydrogenases; oxidation of alicyclic and aromatic substrates using mono-oxygenases and dioxygenases in bacteria and fungi including enzyme-catalysed Baeyer-Villiger oxidations; aldol reactions, formation of optically active cyanohydrins and enzyme-catalysed acyloin type reactions. The use of these biocatalytic methods for the stereo-controlled preparation of important target structures is reviewed and some of the future directions for the biotransformation area are discussed.
Roberts
S M
SM
Department of Chemistry, University of Exeter, Devon, U.K.
Turner
N J
NJ
D001711:Biotransformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D005544:Forecasting; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry*
D002244:Carbon; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D006867:Hydrolases