Optical resolution of racemic 2-hydroxy octanoic acid by lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis in a biphasic membrane reactor

Racemic 2-hydroxy octanoic acid methyl ester was optically resolved by lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis in a biphasic membrane reactor using hydrophilic/hydrophobic capillary membranes. In a buffer/hexane biphasic membrane reactor using hydrophilic ultrafiltration membranes, (S)-2-hydroxy octanoic acid was recovered from the aqueous phase at 59–67% yield and 0.9–0.92 enantiomeric excess (ee), and the ester of (R)-isomer was recovered from the organic phase at 73–75% yield and 0.92–0.99 ee.