Nina G. Schmidt

Building Bridges: Biocatalytic C–C-Bond Formation toward Multifunctional Products

Carbon–carbon bond formation is the key reaction for organic synthesis to construct the carbon framework of organic molecules. The review gives a selection of biocatalytic C–C-bond-forming reactions which have been investigated during the last 5 years and which have already been proven to be applicable for organic synthesis. In most cases, the reactions lead to products functionalized at the site of C–C-bond formation (e.g., α-hydroxy ketones, aminoalcohols, diols, 1,4-diketones, etc.) or allow to decorate aromatic and heteroaromatic molecules. Furthermore, examples for cyclization of (non)natural precursors leading to saturated carbocycles are given as well as the stereoselective cyclopropanation of olefins affording cyclopropanes. Although many tools are already available, recent research also makes it clear that nature provides an even broader set of enzymes to perform specific C–C coupling reactions. The possibilities are without limit; however, a big library of variants for different types of reactions is required to have the specific enzyme for a desired specific (stereoselective) reaction at hand.

Aerobic oxidation of isosorbide and isomannide employing TEMPO/laccase

The oxidation of the renewable diols isosorbide and isomannide was successfully achieved using a TEMPO/laccase system. Furthermore, various TEMPO-derivatives were tested leading to conversions of up to >99% for the oxidation of isosorbide, isomannide, indanol and a halohydrin to the corresponding ketone.

Biocatalytic Friedel–Crafts Acylation and Fries Reaction

Abstract The Friedel–Crafts acylation is commonly used for the synthesis of aryl ketones, and a biocatalytic version, which may benefit from the chemo‐ and regioselectivity of enzymes, has not yet been introduced. Described here is a bacterial acyltransferase which can catalyze Friedel–Crafts C‐acylation of phenolic substrates in buffer without the need of CoA‐activated reagents. Conversions reach up to >99 %, and various C‐ or O‐acyl donors, such as DAPG or isopropenyl acetate, are accepted by this enzyme. Furthermore the enzyme enables a Fries rearrangement‐like reaction of resorcinol derivatives. These findings open an avenue for the development of alternative and selective C−C bond formation methods.

Structure and catalytic mechanism of a bacterial Friedel-Crafts acylase

C−C bond‐forming reactions are key transformations for setting up the carbon frameworks of organic compounds. In this context, Friedel–Crafts acylation is commonly used for the synthesis of aryl ketones, which are common motifs in many fine chemicals and natural products. A bacterial multicomponent acyltransferase from Pseudomonas protegens (PpATase) catalyzes such Friedel–Crafts C‐acylation of phenolic substrates in aqueous solution, reaching up to >99 % conversion without the need for CoA‐activated reagents. We determined X‐ray crystal structures of the native and ligand‐bound complexes. This multimeric enzyme consists of three subunits: PhlA, PhlB, and PhlC, arranged in a Phl(A2C2)2B4 composition. The structure of a reaction intermediate obtained from crystals soaked with the natural substrate 1‐(2,4,6‐trihydroxyphenyl)ethanone together with site‐directed mutagenesis studies revealed that only residues from the PhlC subunits are involved in the acyl transfer reaction, with Cys88 very likely playing a significant role during catalysis. These structural and mechanistic insights form the basis of further enzyme engineering efforts directed towards enhancing the substrate scope of this enzyme.