Kinetic resolution of 2-acylated-1,2-diols by lipase-catalyzed enantiomer selective acylation

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0957-4166(96)00161-9

Enantiomer selectivity of lipase catalyzed acylation of 2-acylated 1,2-diols was studied. First, acylation of 2-acetoxyheptan-1-ol rac-3b with vinyl acetate was investigated by varying the enzymes and the solvent, showing the highest enantiomer selectivity by using lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfL) in hexane-vinyl acetate (VA). We have found varying or even reversed enantiomer selectivity for different secondary acyl moieties in 2-acyloxyheptan-1-ols rac-3bA-F. Next, all six possible types of enantiomer selective biotransformations (hydrolysis of diacetate and the two kinds of monoacetetes; acylation of diol and the two kinds of monoacetates) were compared on two model diols rac-4b,d. Among the transformations investigated, acetylation of secondary monoacetates rac-3b,d showed the highest enantiomer selectivity. Finally, PfL catalyzed acetylations of several 2-acetylated 1,2-diols rac-3a-g were investigated under our optimum conditions.