title: Enhanced stereoselectivity in pig liver esterase catalysed diester hydrolysis. The role of a competitive nucleophile.
abstract: The enantioselectivity of pig liver esterase catalysed hydrolysis of cis-N-benzyl-2,5-bis(methoxy-carbonyl)pyrrolidine (1) has previously been shown to be very dependent on the reaction conditions. Hydrolysis performed in media buffered with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) afforded a monoester with much higher optical purity than hydrolysis in media without Tris. Detailed product studies in a Tris-buffered medium have been performed using NMR-techniques and a 13C-labelled ester. The NMR-studies revealed the presence of (2S,5R)-N-benzyl-2-methoxycarbonyl-5-[[[2-hydroxy-1,1- bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]amino]carbonyl]pyrrolidine (4) as an intermediate, which together with the isolated product (2S,5R)-N-benzyl-2-carboxy-5-[[[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl) ethyl]amino]carbonyl]pyrrolidine (3) suggested Tris as a competitive nucleophile to water. The increased enantioselectivity seen in the produced (2R,5S)-N-benzyl-2-methoxy-carbonyl-5-carboxypyrrolidine (2) was explained by the preference of Tris to react faster with one of the diastereomeric acyl enzymes over the other.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boutelje
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Csöregh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hjalmarsson
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindbäck
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Norin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szmulik
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hult
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004950:Esterases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004952:Esters; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011392:Proline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013552:Swine; D014325:Tromethamine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004952:Esters; C091065:N-benzyl-2,5-bis(methoxycarbonyl)pyrrolidine; D014325:Tromethamine; D011392:Proline; D004950:Esterases