Biocatalysis
Biocatalysis is the application of enzymes as (bio)catalyst in chemical reactions and has developed into a standard technology. With a suitable enzyme, a reaction can be conducted under mild conditions with high selectivity and efficiency.
The advantages of biocatalysis are
- Reaction is possible only with enzymes
- Reaction proceeds with high selectivity, no side products
- Reaction under mild reaction conditions, low energy costs
- Biodegradable catalyst, less waste disposal
c-LEcta has a track record and experience for biocatalysis applications with several reaction types. A competitive technology platform provides the most suitable biocatalyst for the customer’s target reaction.
The enzyme sources of c-LEcta cover
- Continuously growing collection of >250 enzymes in ready-to-screen format
- Enzyme engineering with highly efficient proprietary approaches
- Exploration of biodiversity to discover completely new enzymes
Application Examples
c-LEcta has a track record in successful partnerships for the application of its biocatalysis platforms.
The following illustrates two successful projects:
A Stereoselective synthesis of a beta-ketoester with a mutant alcohol dehydrogenase
A collection of >30 ADH also comprising commercially available enzymes from other sources was tested and no enzyme with a significant activity was detected. c-LEcta used its Protein Engineering capabilities and was able to identify a suitable mutant enzyme. The new Biocatalyst showed the desired efficient turnover with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of >99%.
B Stereoselective esterification of L(-)-Menthol from a technical menthol mixture
We identified a new lipase for this application that with regard to its stereoselectivity outperforms more than 30 commercial enzymes that were tested in parallel.
Chiral Compounds
Chiral alcohols:
Enantiopure alcohols are available by several biocatalytic approaches:
These include direct asymmetric synthesis by ketone reduction using alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), resolution by esterification/ester hydrolysis using lipases or esterases and direct hydroxylation of a non-activated C-H bond by P450 monoxygenases.
Chiral amines:
Enantiopure amines are available by chiral synthesis from the ketone with amine transaminases (ATA) or by resolution using lipases. Other strategies are possible, based on the actual case and will be provided in a technical evaluation on request.
Carboxylic acids:
Enantiopure carboxylic acids are available via resolution of nitriles, carboxylic acids or amides. The same reaction can be used for the resolution of the substrates (nitriles, esters or amides).
Chiral carbonyl compounds:
These compounds are available from the beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound with ene-reductases (ERED).
Other compounds:
More compounds are accessible by biocatalysis. Potential target reactions and synthesis routes making use of enzymes are evaluated on request.
Reaction Spectrum
c-LEcta has built up extensive expertise in the use of numerous enzymes for synthetic purposes. The technology was already successfully applied for the following reactions:
- Oxidations/reductions (e.g. stereoselective ketone reductions)
- Racemic resolutions (e.g. via ester hydrolysis/esterification/amidation)
- Synthesis of chiral amines (e.g. via transamination)
- Synthesis of amides or carboxylic acids from nitriles
- Synthesis of esters in organic media
c-LEcta has collected more than 250 enzymes from different classes and various sources. These are used for in-house screening of target compounds and serve as starting point for the development of customized biocatalysts for specific applications.
