Enzymatic esterification of dihydrocaffeic acid with linoleyl alcohol in organic solvent media

The enzymatic esterification of dihydrocaffeic acid with linoleyl alcohol, using immobilized lipases (Lipozyme IM 20 and Novozym 435), was investigated in selected organic solvent media. Novozym 435 was found to be more efficient for catalyzing the esterification reaction. The highest enzymatic activity of 0.89 μmol esterified linoleyl alcohol/g solid enzyme/min was obtained in a hexane/2-butanone mixture of 75:25 (v/v), with an esterification yield of 75%; however, an increase in the 2-butanone proportion in the mixture up to 50% (v/v) resulted in a decrease in enzymatic activity and esterification yield to 0.38 μmol esterified linoleyl alcohol/g solid enzyme/min and 40%, respectively. The maximum esterification yield of 99.3% was obtained with a dihydrocaffeic acid to linoleyl alcohol ratio of 1:8. The electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopic structural analysis of the end products confirmed the biosynthesis of dihydrocaffeic acid ester of linoleyl alcohol, which demonstrated an anti-radical activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl as a radical model.     

Effect of temperature on lipase-catalyzed esterification in organic solvent

Summary For the esterification of 2-(4-ethylphenoxy)propionic acid catalyzed by lipase MY (Candida rugosa) in isopropyl ether containing a suitable amount of water, the enantioselectivity for the reaction has become higher as the reaction temperature increasing. In contrast, the reverse trend of the temperature effect has been observed for lipase AY (Candida rugosa). A model for these temperature dependence has been proposed.     

Lipase-catalyzed esterification in organic solvent to resolve racemic naproxen

Lipase from Candida cylindracea was used to catalyze the enantioselective esterification in isooctane to resolve naproxen. The conversion was 33.5% over 11 days. The enantiomer excess of product (ee %) was about 100% at this conversion when octanol acted as the other substrate.     

Rice bran lipase catalyzed esterification of palm oil fatty acid distillate and glycerol in organic solvent

Rice bran lipase (RBL) was delipidated to enhance its stability in organic solvent and its esterification activity at elevated temperature. The esterification activity of delipidated RBL increased as temperature was increased from 45 to 65°C. The esterification activity of delipidated RBL at 65°C was about 14 times greater than that of the non-delipidated RBL. As temperature was further increased to 75°C, the non-delipidated RBL lost all esterification activity, whereas the delipidated RBL retained approximately 48% of its esterilication activity. The delipidated RBL maintained a relative esterification activity greater than 80% after 16 h of incubation in hexane, whereas the non-delipidated RBL maintained a relative esterification activity of only 50%. A method for production of acylglycerol using delipidated RBL to esterify palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD) with glycerol in hexane was successfully developed. The effects of reaction temperatures and type of water removal agents (silica gel and molecular sieve) on the degree of esterification were also examined. A 4 h reaction at 65°C, catalyzed by delipidated RBL and using silica gel as the water removal agent resulted in 53.8% esterification. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that the esterified product was primarily comprised of mono-and di-acylglycerols.     

Kinetic characterisation of enzymatic esterification in a solvent system: adsorptive control of water with molecular sieves

The kinetics of enzymatic esterification of glycerol with oleic acid, in equimolar ratio, catalyzed by immobilized Mucor miehei lipase in a solvent system in the presence of the molecular sieves was carried out at 37°C at different Lipozym and solvent (n-hexane) concentrations and the molecular sieve contents were studied in a batch stirred-tank reactor (BSTR). The reactions were followed by the determination of reaction conversions during 45 h. The experimental data of enzymatic esterification of glycerol with oleic acid in a solvent system in the presence of molecular sieves showed minimal deviation from the calculated value in the irreversible second order kinetic model. On the basis of the experimental data, we found an empirical correlation between concentrations of Lipozym, concentrations of solvent (n-hexane), contents of the molecular sieve and the reaction rate constant, k₁.     

Microbial catalyzed esterification of primary and secondary alcohols in organic solvent

Summary Microbial esterification of primary and secondary short chain alcohols with butyric acid in organic solvent has been studied. A screening for 2-octylbutyrate hydrolysis between microorganisms belonging to different genera allowed the selection of 12 microbial strains able to hydrolyze this substrate. The potential of these microorganisms in catalyzing ester formation was checked for various 1- and 2-alkylbutyrate derivatives:Rhizopus delemar,Rhizopus oryzae andSarcina lutea promoted both 1- and 2-alkylbutyrate synthesis with almost complete molar conversion of the primary alcohols, whileAspergillus niger andYarrowia lipolytica only catalyzed 1-alkanol esterification.     

Removal of water produced from lipase-catalyzed esterification in organic solvent by pervaporation

Esterification of oleic acid with n-butanol in the presence of Lipozyme(R) was carried out at 25 degrees C in isooctane with various initial water activities. Initial reaction rate as well as equilibrium conversion decreased at high initial water activity. Therefore, removal of water present in the reaction mixtures was essential. A pervaporation process was applied to the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of n-butyloleate to remove water. Pervaporation selectively separated water from the reaction mixture using a nonporous polymeric membrane, cellulose acetate. Therefore, pervaporation is potentially applicable to remove the water produced from various enzymatic processes, such as synthesis of various esters, peptides, and glycosides in a solvent system as well as in a solvent-free system. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stereoselective esterification of dl-menthol by polyurethane-entrapped lipase in organic solvent

Stereospecific esterification of dl-menthol was studied by the use of immobilized lipase in an adequate water-saturated organic solvent system. Lipase from Candida cylindracea immobilized by entrapment with urethane prepolymers and 5-phenylvaleric acid as the acyl donor were chosen based on the stereoselectivity and the yield of l-menthyl ester. Water-saturated cyclohexane or isooctane was found to be the most suitable solvent system. Entrapment significantly enhanced the operational stability of lipase.     

High-performance continuous operation for enanthioselective esterification of menthol by use of acid anhydride and free lipase in organic solvent

By using propionic anydride as a highly reactive and non-water-producing acyl donor, and free lipase OF 360 suspended in cyclohexane as a biocatalyst under the optimized conditions, efficient and stable enantioselective esterification of (+-)-menthol is possible and has been carried out very stably for 2 months in a continuous stirred-tank reactor at 30°C, retaining a 47%–35% conversion of menthol and high optical purity of the (–)-menthyl ester produced (95%–98% e.e.). However, when the corresponding propionic acid was used as an acyl donor, the conversion ratio of menthol decreased rapidly after the start of continuous operation, indicating a higher productivity with the anhydride than with the free acid. In the case of the acid anhydride, the water content of the reaction medium, which has a great effect on the reactivity and stability of lipase, was easily controlled in long-term operation by the occasional micro-adjustment of the flow rate or concentration of the feed solution of the acid anhydride, and could essentially be kept constant (2–4 mM), avoiding the inactivation of the enzyme.     

Efficient kinetic resolution of organosilicon compounds by stereoselective esterification with hydrolases in organic solvent

Stereoselective esterification of three isomers of trimethylsilylpropanol, 1-trimethylsilyl-2-propanol, 1-trimethylsilyl-1-propanol, and 2-trimethylsilyl-1-propanol, was systematically studied with five kinds of hydrolases in an organic solvent system in connection with the structure of the compounds. The hydrolases were found to be able to esterify these organosilicon compounds, even -hydroxyalkylsilanes, which are unstable under the conditions of acid-catalysed esterification, and the highly optically active organosilicon compounds were successfully prepared with the selected hydrolases. Even a primary alcohol, 2-trimethylsilyl-1-propanol, was stereoselectively esterified by lipase. Furthermore, comparative studies were made by using their carbon counterparts. The silicon atom in the substrates was found to enhance the enzyme stereoselectivity in some cases, but its effect on the substrate reactivity was dependent on the structure of the substrates. These results are discussed based on the specific characters of the silicon atom. Correspondence to: A. Tanaka     

Enzymatic esterification in organic media: role of water and organic solvent in kinetics and yield of butyl butyrate synthesis

Summary The respective roles of organic solvent and of water in butyl butyrate synthesis from n-butanol and n-butyric acid in n-hexane by Mucor miehei lipase have been investigated by analysis of the kinetics and the reaction balances. Esterificaton was found to take place in both low water systems containing solid enzyme in hexane and in biphasic aqueous enzyme solution/hexane systems. In the solid enzyme system, the enzyme adsorbed the water produced, thus delaying the appearance of a discrete aqueous phase. As expected, the presence of some water was indispensable for this system, as its removal or exclusion by various means (adsorption, distillation) affected enzyme activity. However, water removal had little effect on the final yield of esterification. Reaction velocities were quite similar for the solid enzyme/hexane system and for the biphasic aqueous enzyme solution/hexane system. In the latter case, the butyl butyrate formed was almost exclusively found in the organic phase. Ethyl butyrate, a more polar compound, was synthesized with a lower yield. These results allow the conclusion that the reaction took place in a phase consisting of either solid hydrated enzyme with no discrete aqueous phase or of an aqueous enzyme solution by basically similar mechanisms according to the amount of water available to the system, the esterification being driven to completion by transfer of the ester into the organic phase because of a favourable partition coefficient. Offprint requests to: F. Monot     

Baker''s yeast activity in an organic solvent system

The baker's yeast mediated reduction of ethyl 3-oxobutanoate-3-¹³C in hexane was conducted in an NMR tube at 20°C and a ¹³C NMR spectrum recorded each hour. A plot of relative peak intensity against time allowed the progress of the reaction to be monitored. A series of reactions was carried out in which the yeast was pretreated with the organic solvent system for 3, 6, 12 and 24 h prior to the addition of the substrate. From the initial rate of these reactions it was determined that in hexane the enzyme activity remained constant for about 12 h and then rapidly decreased until after 24 h very little activity remained. The reaction was also carried out at 10°C and 30°C. At the lower temperature, the reaction was slower but enzyme activity was maintained for more than 60 h, while at 30°C the enzyme activity had ceased after 8 h.     

Enzymatic esterification of beta-methylglucoside with acrylic/methacrylic acid in organic solvents

The enzymatic esterifications of beta-methylglucoside with acrylic acid/methacrylic acid were carried out using Novozym 435. t-Butanol indicating the highest conversion value was determined as an optimal solvent. The molar ratio (beta-methylglucoside:acids) of 1:15 was most favorable to the esterification. The enzyme concentration of 5% (w/v), and the temperature (50 degrees C for beta-methylglucoside:acrylic acid, 45 degrees C for beta-methylglucoside:methacrylic acid) resulted in the highest final conversion. Beta-methylglucoside of 60gl(-1) was found to be most effective in terms of short reaction time as well as product concentrations. Under these conditions, the maximum conversions for the esterification of beta-methylglucoside with acrylic acid and beta-methylglucoside with methacrylic acid were 59.3% after 12h and 71.3% after 72h, respectively. The structural analysis of the products was performed by FT-IR spectroscopy and (1)H NMR.     

Stereoselective esterification of halogen-containing carboxylic acids by lipase in organic solvent: effects of alcohol chain length

Summary Optical resolution of racemic carboxylic acids containing a halogen atom was attempted with stereoselective esterificatiob by Celite-adsorbed hydrolases in organic solvents. As lipase OF 360 from Candida cylindracea was found to stereoselectively esterify 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid, the (R)-enantiomer (d-isomer) of which is an important herbicide, the effects of alcohol chain length on stereoselectivity as well as reaction rate were investigated. The results revealed that the alcohol chain length markedly affected the stereoselective esterification of 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid: longer-chain alcohols, such as tetradecanol, served as excellent substrates for optical resolution of the acid, although the reaction rate was moderate. Offprint requests to: A. Tanaka     

Improvement of the enzymatic synthesis of ethyl valerate by esterification reaction in a solvent system

The present study reports the improved enzymatic synthesis of ethyl valerate (green apple flavor) by esterification reaction of ethanol and valeric acid in heptane medium. Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) was immobilized by physical adsorption on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) particles and used as a potential biocatalyst. The effect of certain parameters that influence the ester synthesis was evaluated by factorial design. The experimental conditions that maximized the synthesis of ethyl valerate were 30.5°C, 18% m/v of biocatalyst (TLL–PHB), absence of molecular sieves, agitation of 234?rpm, and 1,000?mM of each reactant (ethanol and valeric acid). Under these conditions, conversion percentage ≈92% after 105?min of reaction was observed. Soluble TLL was also used as biocatalyst and the highest conversion was of 82% after 120?min of reaction. Esterification reaction performed in a solvent-free system exhibited conversion of 13% after 45?min of reaction catalyzed by immobilized lipase, while the soluble lipase did not exhibit catalytic activity. The synthesis of the ester was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses. After six consecutive cycles of ethyl valerate synthesis, the prepared biocatalyst retained ≈86% of its original activity.     

Kinetic study of enantioselective esterification of ketoprofen with n-propanol catalysed by an lipase in an organic medium

A kinetic study of an immobilised lipase esterification reaction in dipropyl ether for resolution of ketoprofen indicated a Bi Bi Ping Pong mechanism with dead-end inhibition of the alcohol was occurring for both enantiomers and this is was confirmed experimentally. Parameters in the kinetic equation and reaction activation energies for the two enantiomers were determined by non-linear regression.