Enzymatic Synthesis of Aliphatic Nitriles at a Substrate Loading of up to 1.4 kg/L: A Biocatalytic Record Achieved with a Heme Protein

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.9b00184

A biocatalytic approach toward linear aliphatic nitriles being widely used as industrial bulk chemicals has been developed that runs at high substrate loadings of up to 1.4 kg/L as demonstrated for the synthesis of n-octanenitrile. This substrate loading is one of the highest ever reported in biocatalysis and to best of our knowledge the highest obtained for a water-immiscible product in aqueous medium. It is noteworthy that the biotransformation at such a high substrate loading was achieved by means of a metalloprotein bearing an iron-containing heme subunit in the active site. In detail, an aldoxime dehydratase from Bacillus sp. OxB-1 was used as a biocatalyst for a dehydration of aldoximes as readily available starting materials due to their easy preparation from aliphatic aldehydes through spontaneous condensation with hydroxylamine as bulk chemical. Excellent conversions toward the nitriles in the two-phase system were achieved and the products are easily separated from the reaction mixture without the need for further purification. Aliphatic nitriles are used in industry as solvents and intermediates for the production of surfactants and life sciences products.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.9b00184

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Article
Enzymatic Synthesis of Aliphatic Nitriles at a Substrate Loading of
up to 1.4 Kg/L: A Biocatalytic Record Achieved with a Heme Protein
Alessa Hinzmann, Sylvia Glinski, Marion Worm, and Harald Gröger
J. Org. Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b00184 • Publication Date (Web): 07 Mar 2019
Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on March 8, 2019
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Enzymatic Synthesis of Aliphatic Nitriles at a
Substrate Loading of up to 1.4 Kg/L: A Biocatalytic
Record Achieved with a Heme Protein
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Alessa Hinzmann, Sylvia Glinski, Marion Worm, Harald Gröger*
Chair of Industrial Organic Chemistry and Biotechnology
Faculty of Chemistry
Bielefeld University
Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld (Germany)
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Keywords:
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Aldoxime dehydratases, Aldoximes, Nitriles, Biocatalysis, Industrial chemistry
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Abstract:
A biocatalytic approach towards linear aliphatic nitriles being widely used as industrial bulk
chemicals has been developed, which runs at high substrate loadings of up to 1.4 kg/L as
demonstrated for the synthesis of n-octanenitrile. This substrate loading is one of the highest ever
reported in biocatalysis and to best of our knowledge the highest obtained for a water-immiscible
product in aqueous medium. It is noteworthy that the biotransformation at such a high substrate
loading was achieved by means of a metalloprotein bearing an iron-containing heme subunit in the
active site. In detail, an aldoxime dehydratase from Bacillus sp. OxB-1 was used as a biocatalyst
for a dehydration of aldoximes as readily available starting materials due to their easy preparation
from aliphatic aldehydes through spontaneous condensation with hydroxylamine as bulk
chemicals. Excellent conversions towards the nitriles in the two-phase system were achieved and
the products are easily separated from the reaction mixture without the need for further
purification. Aliphatic nitriles are used in industry as solvents and intermediates for the production
of surfactants and life sciences products.
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Introduction
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Although biocatalysis is recognized as a highly valuable tool in the fine and pharmaceutical
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industry with a proven track record for numerous processes on large scale, analogous examples in
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2,3
the field of bulk chemicals are still rare in spite of decade-long attempts addressing this challenge.
The probably most prominent exception is the conversion of acrylonitrile into acrylamide utilizing
6-22
6-22
a nitrile hydratase. Having been developed by Yamada and Asano in the 1970s, this process
then has been established on industrial scale by Nitto Chemicals (today: Mitsubishi Rayon)
running today on an annual multi-10,000 tons scale with a substrate loading exceeding 500 g/L.
At the same time this process illustrates a major task in this field of applying enzymes for bulk
chemicals production, that is to reach extremely high substrate loadings of several 100 g per L of
reaction medium. Such high substrate loadings of hydrophobic chemicals (as a key property of
most bulk chemicals known in our today’s petrochemically dominated “product tree”) in aqueous
medium raises solubility issues as well as enzyme stability concerns. Thus, a particular challenge
represents the development of processes for commodity chemicals which overcome this limitation
and enable access to even hydrophobic bulk chemicals when operating at multi-100 g/L and
starting from hardly water-soluble substrates. In the following we present the first example of a
biocatalytic process for such a hydrophobic bulk chemical running in aqueous medium at a loading
of >1 Kg/L of a hardly water-soluble substrate with a water-solubility being below 1 g/L. Such a
process has been exemplified for the synthesis of fatty nitriles in the presence of an aldoxime
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dehydratase (Oxd) starting from the corresponding aldoxime substrates (that are easily accessible
from readily available fatty aldehydes by spontaneous condensation with hydroxylamine).
Aliphatic nitriles are widely used, for example, as solvents for many applications in industry and
as key intermediates for the production of surfactants, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
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Results and Discussion
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At first, for this study a range of aliphatic aldoxime substrates were prepared staring from the
corresponding aldehydes and hydroxylamine as a further bulk chemical used in the Beckmann-
rearrangement for ε-caprolactam production. In detail, we synthesized the aldoximes derived from
n-hexanal, n-octanal, n-decanal and n-dodecanal (see Experimental Section) and subsequently a
screening was conducted on 0.5 mL scale to determine the conversion of these substrates to the
corresponding nitriles at different concentrations (10 mM - 2 M) in an aqueous reaction system
consisting of potassium phosphate buffer (PPB). In addition, as a result of a co-solvent screening
carried out beforehand with n-octanaloxime (see Supporting Information), 10 % (v/v) EtOH was
added as co-solvent to increase the solubility of the substrates. As a biocatalyst, a recombinant
aldoxime dehydratase from Bacillus sp. OxB-1 (OxdB) was utilized as wet whole cells in a
concentration of 33 g/L (bio wet weight (bww)). OxdB were prepared by expression in E. coli
cells, which were afterwards used as whole cell catalyst in biotransformations. From 1 L E. coli
culture approximately 19 g wet cells active as biocatalyst can be obtained.
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Figure 1. Screening of conversion of various aliphatic aldoximes into the corresponding nitriles
using the enzyme OxdB in whole cells on a 0.5 mL scale. Reactions were performed in triplicates
and mean values of conversions, determined by GC after extraction using ethyl acetate (EtOAc),
are shown. Conversion values within triplicates vary ± 3 %.
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The reaction was performed at 30 °C for 24 h and the conversion was determined after extraction
with ethyl acetate (EtOAc) using GC. In general, all four aldoxime substrates were converted to
the corresponding nitriles, however, the conversion of the C12-aldoxime to the related nitrile was
lower in comparison to C6-, C8- and C10-aldoximes (Figure 1). In case of the C6-aldoxime, a full
conversion was obtained for concentrations of up to 200 mM and nearly full conversion of C8- and
C10-aldoximes were reached with substrate concentrations of up to 1 M, which corresponds to
~140 g/L (C8) and ~170 g/L (C10). Since all of these substrates have a very low solubility in water
and although 10% ethanol was used as a co-solvent, a large amount of the substrates was not
dissolved, thus being present as solid crystals in the reaction mixture. Hence, mass transfer and,
thus, mixing could be a limitation of these screening experiments carried out on a 0.5 mL-scale.
In the next step, this issue was addressed by using 10 mL-scale in round bottom flasks and a
magnetic stirrer. These 10 mL-scale biotransformations were performed using C6-, C8- and C10-
aldoximes in the presence of the enzyme OxdB as a biocatalyst. Due to the low conversion of C12-
aldoxime in the 0.5 mL-scale experiments, this substrate was not used for further investigations.
The results of the 10 mL-scale experiments using 1 M substrate concentration of C6-, C8- and C10-
aldoximes are shown in Table 1.
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Table 1. Biotransformations of 1 M n-hexanaloxime, n-octanaloxime and n-decanaloxime using
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OxdB a whole cell-catalyst on a 10 mL scale.
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[a]
Conversion /%
#
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Substrate
Reaction time
24 h
Isolated yield /%
n-Hexanaloxime
n-Octanaloxime
n-Decanaloxime
>99
>99
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92
89
--
24 h
24 h
[a]
Conversion of aldoximes to the relating nitriles were determined by GC after extraction of the
reaction mixture using ethyl acetate.
Within a reaction time of 24 h, a full conversion was reached for n-hexanaloxime as well as n-
octanaloxime, whereas in case of n-decanaloxime a conversion of 87% was detected. In part, these
biotransformations running on a 10 mL-scale showed improved results in comparison to the
0.5 mL-scale experiments, especially for the C6-aldoxime. Whereas on a 0.5 mL-scale less than
10% of was converted within 24 h at a substrate concentration of 1 M, a full conversion was found
for the same substrate concentration when carrying out the reaction on a 10 mL-scale. In case of
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C8- and C10-aldoxime also in the 0.5 mL-scale experiments ~90% conversion was reached, which
corresponds to the results obtained from the 10 mL-scale biotransformations. The improved
conversion of the aldoximes to the relating nitriles in the 10 mL-scale experiments can be
rationalized by a better mixing in the round bottom flask in comparison to the micro-reaction tubes
as in case of the 0.5 mL-scale experiments. Thus, further experiments were performed using the
10 mL-scale reaction setup. Based on the results, which were obtained from the 1 M
biotransformations, also higher substrate concentrations were tested. Due to the low solubility of
the aldoxime and possible stirring and mixing problems, the substrates were added in portions
(portions correspond to 143 g substrate per litre of aqueous reaction medium for C8-aldoxime,
171 g/L for C10-aldoximeand 115 g/L for C6-aldoxime).
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Since we could not obtain full conversion of 1 M n-decanaloxime, as a next step C10-feeding
experiments were conducted (Table 2). The first experiment was done at a 0.5 M substrate
concentration and after 1 h and 9 h further substrate was added in portions, being equivalent to
0.5 M, to the reaction mixture (resulting in a 1.5 M overall concentration). After 24 h reaction
time, a conversion of >99% and an isolated yield of 85% of the desired product was obtained
(Table 2, #1). In a next step the substrate loading was further increased to 2 M, which was fully
converted to the corresponding nitrile within 24 h as well (Table 2, #2). When further increasing
the substrate concentration up to 2.5 M of n-decanaldoxime, 93% conversion was obtained after
24 h reaction time at a catalyst loading of OxdB whole cells of 33 g/Lbww. It is noteworthy that this
concentration corresponds already to an amount of approximately 430 g/L of n-decanaloxime.
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Table 2. Biotransformation of n-decanaloxime with whole cells of OxdB to the relating nitrile
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using a 0.5 M feeding approach on a 10 mL scale.
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[a]
[b]
Conversion /% Isolated yield /%
#
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Final concentration Number of portions
256.5 g/L
342 g/L
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4
>99
>99
93
85
83.5
--
427.5 g/L
[a]
Added portions of n-decanaloxime during the reaction.
[b]
Conversion of aldoximes to the relating nitriles were determined by GC after extraction of the
reaction mixture using ethyl acetate.
Furthermore, an experiment with n-hexanaldoxime running at a substrate concentration of 2.5 M
was also conducted and by means of substrate feeding approach, we were pleased to find that this
process results in a full conversion and isolation of n-hexanenitrile in a high yield of 81% (Scheme
1).
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Scheme 1. Synthesis of hexanenitrile at a substrate loading of 287.5 g/L using OxdB in whole cells
in 10 mL-scale using a substrate feeding approach.
Since n-octanaldoxime also turned out to be a promising substrate for OxdB in the 0.5 mL-scale
screening experiment and as the resulting product n-octanenitrile represents a chemical of broad
commercial interest, a detailed investigation on biocatalytic nitrile synthesis at high substrate
loading was done using this substrate. Thus, we performed 10 mL-scale biotransformations of n-
octanaldoxime to the corresponding nitrile using a feeding approach, thus adding portions being
equivalent to a substrate concentration of 1 M to the stirred reaction solution (Table 3).
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Table 3. Biotransformation of n-octanaloxime to the relating nitrile using a 0.5 M feeding
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approach in the presence of OxdB-containing whole cells.
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[a]
[b]
Conversion /% Isolated yield /%
#
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2
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Final concentration Number of portions
286 g/L
665 g/L
1.430 g/L
2
4
9
>99
>99
93
97
[c]
97.5
--
[a]
Added portions of n-octanaloxime during the reaction.
[b]
Conversion of aldoximes to the relating nitriles were determined by GC after extraction of the
reaction mixture using ethyl acetate.
[c]
Last added portion 0.65 M n-octanaloxime.
At first we studied the biotransformation with an overall concentration of 2 M of the aldoxime,
which resulted in full conversion and an isolated yield of 97% (Table 3, #1). In a next step, we
raised the substrate concentration to 4.65 M. This concentration corresponds to a substrate loading
of 665 g/L and also in this case we could obtain a full conversion within 24 h as well as an isolated
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yield of 97.5% (Table 3, #2). Photos of the reaction mixture at various stages of the reaction are
shown in Figure 2.
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Figure 2. Pictures of C8-aldoxime biotransformation using ~665 g/L overall substrate
concentration (a) after 15 min reaction time, b) after 24 h reaction time while stirring, c) after 24 h
reaction time without stirring for 5 min).
It is noteworthy that while a homogeneous emulsion is formed during the reaction through
intensive stirring (thus enabling rapid mass transfer), after the reaction and without mixing then a
clear phase separation is achieved, which simplifies product isolation tremendously as the organic
phase exclusively consists of crude product without any organic solvent.
However, it should be added that even this high substrate loading turned out not to be the
maximal substrate concentration, which can be converted by means of a biomass of 33 g/Lbww OxdB
within a reaction time of 24 h. When we conducted a further 10 mL-scale experiment utilizing an
overall substrate loading of ca. 1.4 Kg(!) of n-octanaldoxime per L of aqueous medium, which
corresponds to a substrate concentration of 10 M(!), a conversion of 93% after 24 h was achieved
(Table 3, #3). This experiment demonstrates that substrate loadings exceeding 1 Kg/L can be
converted by OxdB in case of n-octanaloxime. To the best of our knowledge, this substrate loading
belongs to the highest ever reported in biocatalysis in general and represents the highest substrate
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1,23
loading, which has been obtained for a water-immiscible product in aqueous medium. It is
noteworthy that the biotransformation at such a high substrate loading was achieved by means of
a metalloprotein bearing an iron-containing heme subunit in the active site.
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In order to demonstrate the robustness of this process as well as the feasibility of this technology
to operate on larger scale, an initial scale-up of this n-octanenitrile synthesis with an OxdB in
whole cells as a biocatalyst was performed at an elevated lab scale utilizing a 250 mL aqueous
reaction solution consisting of buffer, 10% ethanol as co-solvent and whole cells (Scheme 2).
Scheme 2. Synthesis of n-octanenitrile using OxdB in whole cells in 250 mL-scale using a
substrate feeding approach.
In total ~250 g n-octanaloxime was used as a substrate, dosed stepwise to the stirred reaction
mixture (7 steps, ~36 g per step, corresponding to addition of 1 M of substrate per step). Within
this experiment we synthesized 188 g of n-octanenitrile using 8.25 g of wet cell mass (~1.9 g bio
dry weight) as a catalyst, which represents a product formation of 23 g of n-octanenitrile per g of
bio wet mass. This corresponds to an excellent product formation of 113 g of n-octanenitrile using
1 g of dry whole cells as catalyst. Taking into account the low production costs of a biocatalyst
when being manufactured by means of high-cell density fermentation starting from a recombinant
E. coli strain, this excellent product to biomass ratio also illustrates the enormous potential of such
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a biotransformation for technical purpose and even for the field of specialty chemicals such as
nitrile-based solvents.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, we reported a biocatalytic approach towards linear aliphatic nitriles, which runs
at high substrate loadings of up to 1.4 Kg per liter of reaction medium as demonstrated for the
synthesis of n-octanenitrile. In this process recombinant whole cells containing an aldoxime
dehydratase from Bacillus sp. (being a heme protein) were used as a biocatalyst, which catalyze
the dehydration of aldoximes as readily available starting materials in aqueous medium. The
biocatalyst productivity is excellent with a product formation of up to 184 g per gram of dry whole
cells as biocatalyst, and the simple work up by only separation of the organic product phase
represents another advantage.
Experimental Section
Experimental Information
1-Hexanal, 1-octanal, 1-decanal and 1-dodecanal were purchased by Sigma Aldrich and used
without further purification. Chemicals for aldoxime and nitrile synthesis were purchased from
VWR Chemicals, Carl Roth and Fluka Chemicals and used without further purification,
respectively. Hexanenitrile, octanenitrile, decanenitrile and dodecanenitrile as reference
compounds for GC-analytics were purchased from Sigma Aldrich or TCI Chemicals. NMR spectra
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were recorded on a Bruker Avance III 500 at a frequence of 500 MHz ( H) or 125 MHz ( C). The
chemical shift δ is given in ppm and referenced to the corresponding solvent signal (CDCl3).
Accurate mass nano-ESI measurements are performed using a Q-IMS-TOF mass spectrometer
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Synapt G2Si (Waters GmbH, Manchester, UK) in resolution mode, interfaced to a nano-ESI
ion source. Nitrogen serves both as the nebulizer gas and the dry gas for nano-ESI. Nitrogen
is generated by a nitrogen generator NGM 11. Helium 5.0 is used as buffer gas in the IMS entry
cell, nitrogen 5.0 is used for IMS separations. 1,3-dicyanobenzene is used as electron transfer
reagent in ETD experiments. Samples were dissolved in acetonitrile and introduced by static nano-
ESI using in-house pulled glass emitters. Conversion of the biotransformations was determined by
GC measurements (Shimadzu GC-2010 Plus) in comparison to a calibration curve. Measurements
were conducted on a chiral SGE Analytik B6B-174 column (30 m length, 0.25 mm inner diameter,
0.25 µm film thickness) with nitrogen as carrier gas. An injector temperature of 220 °C in a split
injection mode was used and a sample amount of 1 µL was injected in this method. The following
temperature gradient was used for C6-aldoxime (retention time (tr) = 4.2 min) and –nitrile (tr =
4.0 min): 60 °C starting temperature, in 20 °C/min to 150 °C (hold 0.5 min). The following
temperature gradient was used for C8- (tr = 2.7 min) and C10-aldoximes (tr = 3.8 min) and –nitriles
(tr (C8) = 2.4 min; tr (C10) = 3.4 min): 140 °C starting temperature (hold 1 min), in 20 °C/min to 190
°C (hold 0.5 min) and in 50 °C/min to 200 °C. The following temperature gradient was used for
C12-aldoxime (tr = 2.6 min) and –nitrile (tr = 3.0 min): 190 °C start temperature (hold 1 min), in 10
°C/min to 200 °C (hold 0.5 min) and in 50 °C/min to 220 °C (hold 2 min).
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Aldoxime synthesis from aldehydes
Sodium carbonate (0.75 eq) was dissolved in distilled (dis.) water including 5% (v/v) EtOH.
Afterwards hydroxylamine hydrochloride (1.5 eq) was added to the stirred solution. The aldehyde
(1 eq) was added dropwise to the stirred aqueous solution. The reaction mixture was stirred at
room temperature for 12 h, while the aldoximes precipitated as colorless solids from the reaction
solution. The reaction progress was monitored by TLC. After completion of the reaction, the crude
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product was isolated as a colourless solid by filtration. The crude product 2 was rinsed with dist.
water (100 mL) before drying in vacuo. Pure aldoximes were obtained after recrystallization from
n-hexane.
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n-Hexanaloxime: Yield: 96% (178.7 g); H-NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): Z-2: δ 7.42 (t, J = 6.1 Hz,
1H), 2.18 (td, J = 7.5, 6.2 Hz, 2H), 1.49 (m, 2H), 1.31 (m, 4H), 0.91 (m, 3H, H3C-(CH2)4-CH2-), E-
2: δ 6.72 (t, J = 5.5 Hz, 1H), 2.37 (td, J = 7.6, 5.5 Hz, 2H), 1.49 (m, 2H), 1.31 (m, 4H), 0.91 (m,
13
3H); C{ H}-NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): Z-2: δ 152.4, 31.4, 25.8, 31.6, 22.5, 14.1, E-2: δ 153.0,
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-1
31.7, 26.3, 25.1, 22.5, 14.1; IR (neat): 1660.2 cm ; HRMS (ESI, positive Ions) m/z: [M+H] Calcd
+
for C6H13NOH 116.1070; Found 116.1069.
1
n-Octanaloxime: Yield: 67% (307.1 g); H-NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): Z-5: δ 7.41 (t, J = 6.1 Hz,
1H), 2.18 (td, J = 7.5, 6.2 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.31 (m, 8H), 0.87 (m, 3H), E-5: δ 6.71 (t,
13
J = 5.5 Hz, 1H), 2.37 (td, J = 7.6, 5.5 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.31 (m, 8H), 0.87 (m, 3H); C{ H}-
1
NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): Z-5: δ 152.4, 31.4, 25.8, 29.6, 22.5, 14.1. E-5: δ 153.0, 31.7, 26.3, 25.1,
-1
22.5, 14.0. IR (neat): 1669.7 cm ; HRMS (ESI, positive Ions) m/z: [M+H] Calcd for
+
C8H17NOH 144.1383; Found 144.1383.
1
n-Decanaloxime: Yield: 63% (114.3 g); H-NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): Z-8: δ 7.42 (t, J = 6.1 Hz,
1H), 2.19 (td, J = 7.5, 6.1 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.29 (m, 12H), 0.88 (m, 3H). E-8: δ 6.72 (t,
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J = 5.5 Hz, 1H), 2.38 (td, J = 7.6, 5.5 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.29 (m, 12H), 0.88 (m, 3H); C{ H}-
NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): Z-8: δ 152.4, 29.6-29.2, 26.2, 29.6, 22.8, 14.2, E-8: δ 153.1, 29.6-29.2,
-1
26.7, 25.1, 22.8, 14.2; IR (neat): 1666.5 cm ; HRMS (ESI, positive Ions) m/z: [M+H] Calcd for
+
C10H21NOH 172.1696; Found 172.1694.
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n-Dodecanaloxime: Yield: 69% (10.8 g); H-NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): Z-11: δ 7.42 (t, J
= 6.1 Hz, 1H), 2.20 (td, J = 7.5, 6.1 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.29 (m, 8H), 0.88 (m, 3H), E-11: δ
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6.71 (t, J = 5.5 Hz, 1H), 2.38 (td, J = 7.6, 5.5 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (m, 2H), 1.29 (m, 8H), 0.88 (m, 3H);
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C{ H}-NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): Z-11: δ 152.5, 29.7-29.2, 26.7, 29.5, 22.8, 14.2, E-11: δ 153.2,
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29.7-29.2, 26.2, 25.1, 22.8, 14.2; IR (neat): 1663.3 cm ; HRMS (ESI, positive Ions) m/z:
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[M+H] Calcd for C12H25NOH 200.2009; Found 200.2005.
Biotransformations of aldoximes to nitriles
Biotransformations in 0.5 mL-scale: Standard activity assays of Oxds in whole cells using fatty
aldoximes were performed using whole cells (bww) (33 mg/mL or 50 mg/mL) in a total volume
of 0.5 mL in 1.5 mL micro reaction tubes in triplicates. The reaction was conducted in 50 mM PPB
(pH 7.0) containing 10% (v/v) ethanol as cosolvent. The activity assay was performed at 30 °C
and 1,400 rpm in an Eppendorf ThermoMixer. The reaction was stopped by addition of 500 μL
ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and extraction of substrates and products into the organic phase. The phase
separation was simplified by centrifugation for 5 min at 14,000 xg at room temperature. The
organic phase was analyzed by GC (Supporting Information, Table S1).
Cosolvent study: The cosolvent study was performed using OxdB in whole cells (16.5 mg/mL
bww) and an n-octanaloxime concentration of 5 mM. The whole cell catalyst was incubated at
30 °C for 15 min, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min or 150 min in 10%, 20% or 30% of each solvent in
PPB (50 mM, pH 7.0). After the incubation, the substrate, dissolved in the relating solvent
(200 mM, 12.5 µL), was added. After 15 min at 30 °C, 500 µL ethyl acetate was added, the phases
mixed and separated afterwards. The ethyl acetate phase was analyzed by GC. The results of the
cosolvent study is shown in Figures S2a-c. The 100%-mark are the activities of OxdB in whole
cells without incubation in cosolvent.
Biotransformations in 10 mL-scale: Generally, in case of the 10 mL biotransformations the
required starting amount of aldoxime was applied to a 100 mL round bottom flask. 1 mL ethanol
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was added as well as 9 mL 50 mM PPB (pH 7.0) to the aldoxime and heated to 30 °C while stirring
(magnetic stirrer). 1 mL of a 333 mg/mL wet whole cell solution (OxdB overexpressing E. coli
BL21(DE3)Codon+RIL cells) was added to start the reaction. After different reaction times more
substrate was added to the stirred reaction mixture. After 24 h the reaction mixture was centrifuged
at 4,000 xg for 5 min and the nitrile was collected by decanting. The aqueous phase was extracted
with EtOAc (2x 5 mL) and centrifuged again. The EtOAc phases and the nitrile were combined,
the solvent removed in vacuo and the product dried in high vacuum (not in case of C6-nitrile 2).
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The purity of the nitriles was determined by GC and H-NMR analysis in comparison to
commercially available pure nitriles obtained by TCI. A further purification of the nitriles was not
necessary. In Table S2-S5 (Supporting Information) specific data for the 10 mL reactions are
listed.
Biotransformation in 250 mL-scale: n-Octanaloxime (35.75 g, 0.25 mol) was weight into a
round bottom flask and ethanol (25 mL) was added while stirring by a magnetic stirrer at 30 °C.
PPB (200 mL, pH 7.0) and 333 mg/mL whole cell catalyst suspension was added. After several
reaction times n-octanaloxime (each dosage 35.75 g, 0.25 mol) was added to the stirred reaction
mixture to a final amount of 1 kg per liter reaction medium (250.25 g, 1.75 mol). After 48 h of
reaction time the reaction mixture was transferred into several 50 mL falcon tubes and centrifuged
at 4,000 xg for 15 min. The organic layer (product) was transferred to another round bottom flask
and the aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate (total 100 mL) using centrifugation at 4,000
xg for 15 min for phase separation. The organic layers were combined and the solvent removed in
1
vacuo and the product was analyzed by GC and H-NMR. n-Octanenitrile (182.11 g, 1.5 mol, 86%)
was obtained as yellowish oil. A further purification of this nitrile was not necessary. Additional
experimental information are listed in Table S6 (Supporting Information).
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
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Supporting Information. A file comprising the gene and protein sequence of the used enzyme,
experimental descriptions of the preparation of the enzyme as well as the biotransformations and
NMR spectra of the aldoximes and nitriles is provided.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
* Prof. Dr. Harald Gröger, Chair of Industrial Organic Chemistry and Biotechnology, Bielefeld
University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, harald.groeger@uni-bielefeld.de
Author Contributions
The manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval
to the final version of the manuscript.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We gratefully acknowledge generous support from the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe
(FNR) and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), respectively, within
the funding program on the utilization of biorenewables (grant number: 22001716).
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