Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 10, Issue 11, 2006

This issue of Current Organic Chemistry constitutes the second part of a whole body of work dedicated to RECENT ADVANCES IN SELECTIVE BIOCATALYSIS. In Part II enzymatic activity related to nucleoside phosphorylases will be discussed (A. Iribarren). Biocatalytic reduction of carbonyl compounds (K. Nakamura), oxidations mediated by isolated or cellbound dehydrogenases/oxidases (F. Molinari) as will as enzyme-cataly Read More

Nucleoside phosphorylases (NPs) are transferases that catalyse the reversible cleavage of the glycosidic bond of ribo- or deoxyribo nucleosides, in the presence of inorganic phosphate, to generate the base and ribose- or deoxyribose- 1-phosphate. Since pyrimidine as well as purine nucleoside phosphorylases exist, the combination of both enzymes makes possible the generation of purine nucleosides from pyrimidine ones. As a Read More

Recent developments of biocatalytic reduction of carbonyl groups are reviewed. Methods to find, prepare and modify the biocatalysts and to improve productivity and enantioselectivity of the reactions are explained. Then, practical applications for the asymmetric reduction of carbonyl compounds with various functionalities are given, including the synthesis of pharmaceutically important compounds.

Oxidations catalyzed by microbial dehydrogenases and oxidases allow for transformation of different molecules (primary and secondary alcohols, aldehydes, amines, saturated compounds) with high chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity. Although only few bio-oxidations have been developed on large scale, the use of dehydrogenases and oxidases can be seen as a complementary tool to conventional synthetic methods. This r Read More

Oxygenation reactions of ketones to esters are referred to as Baeyer-Villiger oxidations and represent a powerful methodology in synthesis to break carbon-carbon bonds in an oxygen insertion process. Since the seminal work by Adolf Baeyer and Victor Villiger in 1899 substantial progress has been made to understand the mechanism, to predict migratory preference, and to apply this conversion in preparative chemistry. Stere Read More

The production of single enantiomers of drug intermediates has become increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry. Chiral intermediates and fine chemicals are in high demand by both the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the preparation of bulk drug substances and agricultural products. The enormous potential of microorganisms and enzymes for the transformation of synthetic chemicals with high c Read More