Lipase-Catalyzed Preparation of Optically Active γ-Butyrolactones in Organic Solvents

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00298a031

Lipases in anhydrous organic solvents catalyze the lactonization of esters of γ-hydroxy carboxylic acids with a high degree of stereospecifity.Under these conditions the lipases exhibit both enantioselectivity and prochiral selectivity.We exploited the enzymes' enantioselectivity for synthesis of chiral lactones from racemic γ-hydroxy esters and their prochiral stereospecifity, i.e. the ability to discriminate between enantiotopic groups of a prochiral molecule, for the enantioconvergent lactonization of symmetrical γ-hydroxy diesters.This approach was used to develop a convenient, high yielding, and stereoselective route to several optically active γ-substituted γ-butyrolactones.