Preparation of (S)-2-Substituted Succinates by Stereospecific Reductions of Fumarate and Derivatives with Resting Cells of Clostridium formicoaceticum

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)85677-5

Fumarate derivatives have been reduced to (S)-2-methylsuccinate 2a, (S)-2-ethylsuccinate 3a and (S)-2-chlorosuccinate 4a in up to 1 M concentrations with Clostridium formicoaceticum.Formate was the electron donor and viologens or anthraquinone-2,6-disulphonate acted as artificial electron mediators.Reductions with freeze-dried cells in 2H2O-buffers led to the (2R,3S)-<2,3-2H>-dideuterated succinate derivatives.The productivity numbers ranged from 450 to 5000 and the enantiomeric excess of all (S)-2-substituted succinates was >/= 99percent.