The Rise in Biocatalysis

Most chemists think of biocatalysis in terms of ester hydrolysis or perhaps asymmetric reduction. But modern biocatalysts can do unusual transformations including remote oxidations and stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formations, as the examples below, taken from the recent literature, demonstrate.

• Trevor Laird

Some more interesting schemes are featured in the full downloadable newsletter.

One-Pot Conversion of Alcohols into Amides via Oximes

The group of Jonathan Williams at the University of Bath UK, in collaboration with the Process R&D Dept of Astra Zeneca has recently published a method of direct conversion of alcohols to amides using iridium catalysts.

Initially the aldehyde is formed by catalytic transfer hydrogenation between styrene and the alcohol and in the presence of hydroxylamine the oxime is formed, as expected. The iridium catalyst now acts to isomerise the oxime to the amide. (Org Lett , 2007, 9(1) 73-75). At present the reaction only works with benzylic alcohols; for aliphatic alcohols the oxidation to aldehyde does not take place and alternative reagents and conditions are presently being examined to try to solve this problem.

New cinchona alkaloids for the industrial chemist’s toolkit

The cinchona alkaloids quinine and cinchonidine (together with their pseudoenantiomers quinidine and cinchonine) are recognised as a priveleged class of compounds in asymmetric catalysis. more>

Quantifying
Green-ness

Green chemistry metrics that are both meaningful and chemist-friendly!! Learn from the master!!! John Andraos, author of the seminal OPRD papers on green chemistry metrics, is joining forces with Scientific Update for the Green Chemistry course in June.

Microwaves in Organic Synthesis

The number of publications about the use of microwave heating in chemistry has grown almost exponentially in the last 20 years. more>

Are You Getting into Bad Habits?

In my first job, working on the chemistry of organic conducting compounds, I became fascinated by the way compounds crystallised and whether they crystallised in more than one form (polymorphism). more>

 

Biocatalysis: A Renaissance

The literature on the use of biocatalysts in process R&D is expanding and new books on the subject have appeared regularly throughout the last 5 years. more>

Chemicals with amusing names.

www.chm.bris.ac.uk

 

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