Enzymatic Resolution of Racemates Contaminated by Racemic Product

Enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution is sometimes performed starting with substrate already containing small amounts of the racemic product. Then the determination of the enantiomeric ratio may be seriously disturbed when this parameter is calculated from the degree of conversion and the enantiomeric excess of either the substrate or the product (Chen et al., 1982, 1987) or when it is calculated directly from the enantiomeric excess of substrate and product (Rakels et al., 1993).

This paper presents modifications of these methods in order to correctly determine the enantiomeric ratio as well as the amount of racemic product in the substrate. The theoretical predictions were verified for the hydrolysis of racemic ethyl 2-chloropropionate, catalyzed by carboxylesterase NP. Despite the presence of racemic product in the substrate, accurate and reliable values for the enantiomeric ratio were obtained by using the modified methods.     

Strategies in the Preparation of Homochiral Compounds Using Combined Enantioselective Enzymes

In order to obtain a homochiral product from a racemic substrate, different strategies can be followed using a moderately enantioselective enzymatic catalyst. Two new strategies are presented, involving the simultaneous use of two enzymes, parallel or consecutive. In the parallel system, the substrate enantiomer yielding the unwanted product enantiomer is enantioselectively converted by the second enzyme. In the consecutive system, the substrate enantiomer yielding the desired product enantiomer is itself the preferred product of another enantioselective enzymatic reaction.

For irreversible pseudo-first order enzyme kinetics, a relationship was found which describes the dependency of the yield and enantiomeric excess for these systems on the E-values of the separate enzymes and on the ratio of their concentrations. For Michaelis-Menten kinetics, these relationships usually give good approximations.

According to these calculations, the yield and enantiomeric excess obtainable with the concepts of combined enzymes exceed significantly those obtainable with the separate enzymes, and also those obtainable with the strategy of product recirculation.     

A simple method to determine concentration of enantiomers in enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution

Kinetic resolutions play important roles in industrial biotransformations for production of optical pure compounds from racemic substrates. A simple method, based on enantiomeric excess of both substrate (ee _S) and the corresponding product (ee _P), was developed for determination of concentration of enantiomers in kinetic resolution. Since only relative quantity (ee) was required in the proposed method, calibration and cumbersome quantitative sample handling can be avoided and analytical accuracy can be greatly improved.     

Factors screening to statistical experimental design of racemic atenolol kinetic resolution via transesterification reaction in organic solvent using free Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase

As the (R )‐enantiomer of racemic atenolol has no β‐blocking activity and no lack of side effects, switching from the racemate to the (S )‐atenolol is more favorable. Transesterification of racemic atenolol using free enzymes investigated as a resource to resolve the racemate via this method is limited. Screenings of enzyme, medium, and acetyl donor were conducted first to give Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase, tetrahydrofuran, and vinyl acetate. A statistical design of the experiment was then developed using Central Composite Design on some operational factors, which resulted in the conversions of 11.70–61.91% and substrate enantiomeric excess (ee ) of 7.31–100%. The quadratic models are acceptable with R² of 95.13% (conversion) and 89.63% (ee ). The predicted values match the observed values reasonably well. Temperature, agitation speed, and substrate molar ratio factor have low effects on conversion and ee , but enzyme loading affects the responses highly. The interaction of temperature–agitation speed and temperature–substrate molar ratio show significant effects on conversion, while temperature–agitation speed, temperature–substrate molar ratio, and agitation speed–substrate molar ratio affect ee highly. Optimum conditions for the use of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase, tetrahydrofuran, and vinyl acetate were found at 45°C, 175 rpm, 2000 U, and 1:3.6 substrate molar ratio.     

Mass balancing in kinetic resolution: calculating yield and enantiomeric excess using chiral balance

When kinetic resolution is applied for the production of enantiomerically pure compounds, process options may be used which involve more than one chiral substrate and one chiral product, such as sequential or parallel enzymatic kinetic resolutions or hydrolysis of diastereomers. Although the relation between the yields (y) of the chiral compounds is straightforward in these cases, the relation between their enantiomeric excess (ee) values is not. Combining mass balances into a so-called chiral balance (Sigma y . ee(R) = 0) provides the relation between enantiomeric excess values in a useful manner. This chiral balance easily shows which nonmeasured enantiomeric excess values and yields can be calculated from measured values. The chiral balance is only valid when configurations at chiral centers are conserved. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

ENANTIOSELECTIVE ACYLATION OF β-PHENYLALANINE ACID AND ITS DERIVATIVES CATALYZED BY PENICILLIN G ACYLASE FROM Alcaligenes faecalis

This study developed a simple, efficient method for producing racemic β-phenylalanine acid (BPA) and its derivatives via the enantioselective acylation catalyzed by the penicillin G acylase from Alcaligenes faecalis (Af-PGA). When the reaction was run at 25°C and pH 10 in an aqueous medium containing phenylacetamide and BPA in a molar ratio of 2:1, 8 U/mL enzyme and 0.1 M BPA, the maximum BPA conversion efficiency at 40 min only reached 36.1%, which, however, increased to 42.9% as the pH value and the molar ratio of phenylacetamide to BPA were elevated to 11 and 3:1, respectively. Under the relatively optimum reaction conditions, the maximum conversion efficiencies of BPA derivatives all reached about 50% in a relatively short reaction time (45–90 min). The enantiomeric excess value of product (ee_p ) and enantiomeric excess value of substrate (ee_s ) were all above 98% and 95%, respectively. These results suggest that the method established in this study is practical, effective, and environmentally benign and may be applied to industrial production of enantiomerically pure BPA and its derivatives.     

酮基布洛芬拆分用酯酶产生菌的筛选及其催化特性

从土壤中筛选获得一株可以高对映选择性水解酮基布洛芬乙酯的酵母KET4,经鉴定为芸苔丝孢酵母（Trichosporon brassicae）。研究了该菌的生长和产酶过程,考察了其静息细胞对酮基布洛芬乙酯水解的催化特性。用该菌催化酯水解时,转化率为41%时,产物的对映体过量值为91%,对映选择率达到45。     

Optical resolution of racemic pantolactone with a novel fungal enzyme,lactonohydrolase

A novel enzymatic process for the optical resolution of racemic pantolactone through the stereo-specific hydrolysis of d-pantolactone by lactonohydrolase of Fusarium oxysporum is described. F. oxysporum cells were found to catalyze the stereoselective hydrolysis of the d-enantiomer of racemic pantolactone. With 135 g/l dl-pantolactone as the substrate, 41% was hydrolyzed and pantoic acid with an optical purity of 90% enantiomeric excess (for d-pantoic acid) was formed.     

AN EFFICIENT SYSTEM FOR THE ASYMMETRIC ACYLATION OF (R,S)-3-n-BUTYLPHTHALIDE CATALYZED BY NOVOZYME 435

Novozyme 435 could be a highly efficient catalyst in the asymmetric acylation of (R,S)-3-n-butylphthalide in tetrahydrofuran–hexane solvents. The effect of various reaction parameters such as agitation velocity, water content, mixed media, temperature, concentration of Novozyme 435, molar ratio of acetic anhydride to (R,S)-3-n-butylphthalide, reaction time, enantiomeric excess of substrate (ee_S), enantiomeric excess of product (ee_P), and enantioselective ratio (E) were studied. Tetrahydrofuran markedly improved (R,S)-3-n-butylphthalide conversion, enantiomeric excess of remaining 3-n-butylphthalide, and enantiomeric ratio. The optimum media were 50% (v/v) tetrahydrofuran and 50% (v/v) hexane. Other ideal reaction conditions were an agitation velocity of 150 rpm, 0.4% (v/v) water content, temperature of 30°C, 8 mg/mL dosage of Novozyme 435, 8:1 (0.4 mmol: 0.05 mmol) molar ratio of acetic anhydride to (R,S)-3-n-butylphthalide, and a reaction time of 48 hr. Under the optimum conditions, 96.4% ee_S and 49.3% conversion of (R,S)-3-n-butylphthalide were achieved. In addition, enantiomeric excess of the product was above 98.0%.     

Strategies in the Preparation of Homochiral Compounds Using Combined Enantioselective Enzymes

In order to obtain a homochiral product from a racemic substrate, different strategies can be followed using a moderately enantioselective enzymatic catalyst. Two new strategies are presented, involving the simultaneous use of two enzymes, parallel or consecutive. In the parallel system, the substrate enantiomer yielding the unwanted product enantiomer is enantioselectively converted by the second enzyme. In the consecutive system, the substrate enantiomer yielding the desired product enantiomer is itself the preferred product of another enantioselective enzymatic reaction.

For irreversible pseudo-first order enzyme kinetics, a relationship was found which describes the dependency of the yield and enantiomeric excess for these systems on the E-values of the separate enzymes and on the ratio of their concentrations. For Michaelis-Menten kinetics, these relationships usually give good approximations.

According to these calculations, the yield and enantiomeric excess obtainable with the concepts of combined enzymes exceed significantly those obtainable with the separate enzymes, and also those obtainable with the strategy of product recirculation.     

Enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of the diesters of cis- and trans-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acids

Summary Pig liver esterase (EC 3.1.1.1) catalyzed hydrolysis of the dimetrhy ester of meso-cis-1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid yielded the optically pure (1S,2R)-monoester. The corresponding diethyl ester yielded racemic monoester.The diethyl ester of racemic trans-1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid was kinetically resolved by partial hydrolysis with subtilisin (EC 3.4.21.14) or pig liver esterase. The (1R,2R)-monoester had an enantiomeric excess of 45% and was obtained in an enantiomerically pure form through recrystallisation. The remaining (1S,2S)-diester exhibited an enantiomeric excess of 83%. The nature of the ester function (methyl, ethyl, and propyl esters) had a great influence on the enantiomeric excess obtained and on the kinetic parameters.     

Kinetic resolution of ketoprofen ester catalyzed by lipase from a mutant of CBS 5791

A biotransformation process was developed for the production of (S)-ketoprofen by enantioseletive hydrolysis of racemic ketoprofen ester using the mutant Trichosporon laibacchii strain CBS 5791. A satisfactory result was obtained, in which the E was 82.5, with an ee of 0.94 and a conversion of 0.47 under the optimum hydrolysis conditions [E is enantiomeric ratio, E=ln[1–X(1+ee)]/ln[1–X(1–ee)]; ee is enantiomeric excess, ee=(C_S–C_R)/(C_S+C_R): temperature of hydrolysis was 23°C]. The medium used in biotransformation was a mixture of growth broth and biotransformation broth at a ratio of 1:9, the concentration of Tween 80 was 15 g/l, the time of hydrolysis, 72 h. These results are promising for further scale-up. Tween 80 significantly improved lipase enantioselectivity and activity at the optimum concentration.     

Sequential Kinetic Resolution by two Enantioselective Enzymes

Enhancement of the enantioselectivity by simultaneous use of two enzymes in a sequential kinetic resolution process is presented. The model system consisted of carboxylesterase NP catalyzed hydrolysis of racemic methyl 2-chloropropionate, followed by dehalogenation of the enantiomerically enriched 2-chloropropionate by DL-dehalogenase into lactate. Optimal results are shown to be attained when the conversion rates of both faster reacting enantiomers are the same. An optimization parameter D for sequential resolutions is introduced. The kinetics of both reaction steps were investigated separately by progress curve analysis, and the enantioselectivity of the enzymes was determined. From a quantitative kinetic model we could formulate the sequential resolution, which yielded the predicted improvements of product enantiomeric excess.     

The resolution of acyclic P‐stereogenic phosphine oxides via the formation of diastereomeric complexes: A case study on ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide

As an example of acyclic P‐chiral phosphine oxides, the resolution of ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide was elaborated with TADDOL derivatives, or with calcium salts of the tartaric acid derivatives. Besides the study on the resolving agents, several purification methods were developed in order to prepare enantiopure ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide. It was found that the title phosphine oxide is a racemic crystal‐forming compound, and the recrystallization of the enantiomeric mixtures could be used for the preparation of pure enantiomers. According to our best method, the (R)‐ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide could be obtained with an enantiomeric excess of 99% and in a yield of 47%. Complete racemization of the enantiomerically enriched phosphine oxide could be accomplished via the formation of a chlorophosphonium salt. Characterization of the crystal structures of the enantiopure phosphine oxide was complemented with that of the diastereomeric intermediate. X‐ray analysis revealed the main nonbonding interactions responsible for enantiomeric recognition.     

A novel lipase from Aspergillus oryzae catalyzed resolution of (R,S)-ethyl 2-bromoisovalerate

In this study, a novel lipase M5 derived from Aspergillus oryzae WZ007 was prone to exhibit high hydrolytic activity and stereoselectivity towards racemic substrate (R,S)-ethyl 2-bromoisovalerate. (R)-ethyl 2-bromoisovalerate was obtained by enzymatic resolution, which is the key chiral intermediate for highly efficient enantiomerically fluvalinate. The results showed that the enzymatic reaction was carried out in 120mM racemic substrate for 3 hours, the enantiomeric excess reached 98.6%, the conversion was 51.7%, and E value above 120. Therefore, the novel lipase M5 has the ability to efficiently produce (R)-ethyl 2-bromoisovalerate, which greatly reduces the industrial production cost of the highly efficient counterpart of fluvalinate.     

Photoreaction of a racemate proceeding through radical or ion pairs. The effect of circularly polarized light on the enantiomeric excess of recovered reactant

A simple theory has been developed to explain how circularly polarized light will affect the outcome of a photoreaction of a racemic substrate proceeding through ion pairs or radical pairs. One can calculate the enantiomeric excess and amount of recovered substrate at any stage of the reaction.     

Simultaneous monitoring of the enantiomeric purities of both substrate and product in the enzymatic resolution of (R,S)-2-acetoxy-3-bromopropyl para-toluenesulfonate by HPLC chiral column chromatography

The enantiomeric purities of both substrate, 2-acetoxy-3-bromopropyl para-toluenesulfonate (I), and product, 2-hydroxy-3-bromopropyl p-toluenesulfonate (II) were examined in one analysis. The enzymatic resolution was conducted by Amano lipase AK and the enantiomeric excess as well as the conversion rate were monitored by HPLC analysis utilizing a Chiralcel OD column. After 7 h of reaction, HPLC results indicated that the enantiomeric purities of both substrate (I) and product (II) were greater than 95% and the conversion rate was around 55%. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Biosynthesis of (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol from racemic styrene oxide by using bacterial and marine fish epoxide hydrolases

Enantio-convergent hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxides was achieved to prepare enantiopure (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol by using two recombinant epoxide hydrolases (EHs) of a bacterium, Caulobacter crescentus, and a marine fish, Mugil cephalus. The recombinant C. crescentus EH primarily attacked the benzylic carbon of (S)-styrene oxide, while the M. cephalus EH preferentially attacked the terminal carbon of (R)-styrene oxide, thus leading to the formation of (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol as the main product. (R)-Phenyl-1,2-ethanediol was obtained with 90% enantiomeric excess and yield as high as 94% from 50 mM racemic styrene oxides in a one-pot process.     

Improved Kinetic Resolution by Enzyme-Catalyzed Parallel Reactions

Competitive parallel reactions with opposite enantioselectivity are presented as a strategy to enhance the enantiomeric product purity in enzymatic kinetic resolution. Lipase-catalyzed simultaneous hydrolysis and amidation of racemic methy 12-chloropropionate led to significantly improved amide yield and enantiomeric excess. Process results can be controlled by changing the hydrolysis/amidation reaction rates through variation of the solvent and the initial amine concentration. This is described by a kinetic model.     

Quantitative analysis of enantioselective enzymatic hydrolysis with non-enantioselective removal of chiral products

Kinetic resolution of racemic compounds by enzymatic hydrolysis with non-enantioselective separation of enantiomer products via a separator or ion-pair formation has been quantitatively analyzed. Theoretical results indicate that the removal of chiral products has profound effects on improving the conversion and enantiomeric excess for the desired chiral substrate or product. The analysis was confirmed from lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of racemic methyl 2-chloropropionate in the presence of pyrrolidine in buffer saturated dichloromethane.