Articolo in rivista, 2020, ENG, 10.3390/sym12091454

Breaking molecular symmetry through biocatalytic reactions to gain access to valuable chiral synthons

Patti A.; Sanfilippo C.

Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Paolo Gaifami 18, Catania, 95126,

In this review the recent reports of biocatalytic reactions applied to the desymmetrization of meso-compounds or symmetric prochiral molecules are summarized. The survey of literature from 2015 up to date reveals that lipases are still the most used enzymes for this goal, due to their large substrate tolerance, stability in different reaction conditions and commercial availability. However, a growing interest is focused on the use of other purified enzymes or microbial whole cells to expand the portfolio of exploitable reactions and the molecular diversity of substrates to be transformed. Biocatalyzed desymmetrization is nowadays recognized as a reliable and efficient approach for the preparation of pharmaceuticals or natural bioactive compounds and many processes have been scaled up for multigram preparative purposes, also in continuous-flow conditions.

Symmetry (Basel) 12 (9)

Keywords

desymmetrization; biocatalysis; chiral compounds; lipases; amidases; oxidoreductases

CNR authors

Sanfilippo Claudia, Patti Angela

CNR institutes

ICB – Istituto di chimica biomolecolare