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T. Janeczko et al. / Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic 97 (2013) 278–282
2.6. Identification of products
O
OH
O
1R
2R
1 R
Structures of the biotransformation products were confirmed
by 1H NMR. The absolute configuration of the products was deter-
mined by comparison of their optical rotation value with literature
data.
microbial
reduction
R3
R4
R3
R4
2 R
O
2
1
(S)-chroman-4-ol (2a): pale yellow oil; [␣]D23 = −47.6◦ (c 1.8,
CHCl3) (73% ee) (lit. [␣]D25 = −66.0◦ (c = 3.03, CHCl3), 97% ee [23].
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.84 (br s, 1H; OH), 2.02 (m,
1H, H-3), 2.10 (m, 1H, H-3), 4.26 (m, 2H, H-2), 4.78 (t, 1H, J = 4.0 Hz,
H-4a), 6.83 (d, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz; H-8), 6.91 (t, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz, H-6), 7.20
(td, 1H, J = 7.8, 1.6 Hz; H-7), and 7.32 (dd, 1H, J = 7.8, 1.6 Hz, H-5).
(S)-6-methylchroman-4-ol (2b): pale yellow oil; [␣]D23 = −20.5◦
(c 0.9, CHCl3) (63% ee) (lit. [␣]D23 = −38.6◦ (c = 1.50, CHCl3), 100% ee
[24]. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.85 (s, 1H, OH); 2.00 (m,
1H, H-3); 2.09 (m, 1H, H-3); 2.26 (s, 3H, CH3), 4.22 (m, 2H, H-2),
4.74 (t, 1H, J = 4.0 Hz, H-4a), 6.72 (d, 1H, J = 8.3 Hz, H-8), 6.91 (dd, 1H,
J = 8.3, 2.0 Hz, H-7), and 7.10 (d, 1H, J = 2.0 Hz, H-5).
1a
1b
1c
1d
1e
2a
2b
2c
2d
2e
1R = H
1R = H
1R = H
2R = H
3R = H
4R = H
2R = CH3
3R = H
4R = H
2R = OCH3
2R = OCH3
2R = OH
3R = CH3
3R = CH3
3R = CH3
4R = CH3
4R = CH3
4R = CH3
1R = OCH3
1R = H
Scheme 3. Microbial reduction of selected 4-chromanones.
7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchroman-4-one (1c): pale yellow
powder; 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.43 (s, 6H, 2 x CH3),
2.64 (s, 2H, H-3), 3.81 (s, 3H, OCH3), 6.35 (d, 1H, J = 2.4 Hz, H-8),
6.55 (dd, 1H, J = 2.4, 8.8 Hz, H-6), and 7.81 (d, 1H, J = 8.8 Hz, H-5).
7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchrom-3-ene (3c) (elimination prod-
uct): colorless oil; 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.41 (s, 6H,
CH3), 3.79 (s, 3H, OCH3), 5.45 (d, 1H, J = 9.7 Hz, H-3), 6.30 (d, 1H,
J = 9.7 Hz, H-4), 6.36 (d, 1H, J = 2.45 Hz, H-8), 6.43 (dd, 1H, J = 2.45,
8.2 Hz, H-6), and 6.91 (d, 1H, J = 8.2 Hz, H-5).
(S)-7-methoxy-2,2-dimethylchroman-4-ol (2c): pale yellow
powder; [␣]D23 = −23.0◦ (c 1.4, CHCl3) (93% ee) (lit. (R)-1c,
[␣]D25 = +22.1◦ (c = 0.72, CHCl3, 100% ee (S) [25]. 1H NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.31 (s, 3H, CH3), 1.45 (s, 3H, CH3), 1.84 (dd, 1H
J = 13.5, 8.3 Hz, H-3), 1.98 (s, 1H, OH), 2.14 (dd, 1H J = 13.5, 6.1 Hz,
H-3), 3.75 (s, 3H, OCH3), 4.79 (dd, 1H, J = 8.3, 6.1 Hz, H-4a), 6.33
(d, 1H, J = 2.5 Hz, H-8), 6.51 (dd, 1H, J = 8.5, 2.5 Hz, H-6), and 7.33 (d,
1H, J = 8.5 Hz, H-5).
Fig. 2. Time dependence of transformation of 4-chromanone (1a) in Chaetomium
sp. KCh 6651 culture.
6,7-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethylchrom-3-ene (3d) (elimination
product): colorless needles; 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm):
1.40 (s, 6H, CH3), 3.85 (s, 3H, OCH3), 3.86 (s, 3H, OCH3), 5.48
(d, 1H, J = 9.7 Hz, H-3), 6.27 (d, 1H, J = 9.7 Hz, H-4), 6.44 (s, 1H, H-8),
and 6.56 (s, 1H, H-5).
(S)-6,7-dimehtoxy-2,2-dimethylchroman-4-ol (1d): colorless
needles; [␣]D23 = −36.40◦ (c = 0.64, CHCl3) (75% ee); 1H NMR
(300 MHz, CDCl3) ı (ppm): 1.30 (s, 3H, CH3), 1.42 (s, 3H, CH3),
1.82 (dd, 1H, J = 13.5, 8.3 Hz, H-3), 2.14 (dd, 1H, J = 13.5, 6.1 Hz, H-3),
3.80 (s, 3H, OCH3), 3.83 (s, 3H, OCH3), 4.78 (dd, 1H, J = 8.3, 6.1 Hz,
H-4a), 6.35 (s, 1H, H-8), and 6.92 (s, 1H, H-5).
reduction occurs, giving the S-alcohol (2b) with low enantioselec-
tivity, and then this enantiomer is selectively oxidized back to the
substrate. As a result, after nine days of biotransformation (R)-6-
methyl-4-chromanol is obtained as a single product (Scheme 4).
For substrate 1c (7-mehtoxy-2,2-dimethyl-4-chromanone) the
reaction pattern is not the same, however one can observe that
the content of the R enantiomer is continuously increasing with
time, whereas the amount of the S-alcohol (2c) drops (Fig. 4). These
indicate that with longer reaction time it is possible to achieve an
enantiomeric excess of the R-alcohol. In the culture of Chaetomium
3. Results and discussion
The strains of D. igniaria, C. betulinum and Chaetomium sp. were
reduction of low-molecular-weight ketones [18,26–29].
The only microorganism that transformed four of the substrates
was D. igniaria. In each case a considerable enantiomeric excess of
S-alcohol was observed in the product mixture (Scheme 3, Table 1).
The results of biotransformations performed in the culture
of Chaetomium sp.1 are interesting mainly with respect to com-
of biotransformation the respective S-alcohols predominated, but
when the reaction was carried out longer, the content of the
R-alcohols gradually increased. After three days it was the R enan-
tiomer that prevailed (Figs. 2 and 3).
The observation of 6-methyl-4-chromanone (1b) transforma-
tion process led to the conclusion that at first the carbonyl group
Fig. 3. Time dependence of transformation of 6-methyl-4-chromanone (1b) in
Chaetomium sp. KCh 6651 culture.