An Ammonium-Formate-Driven Trienzymatic Cascade for ω-Transaminase-Catalyzed (R)-Selective Amination

J Org Chem. 2019 Nov 15;84(22):14987-14993. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02445. Epub 2019 Nov 6.

Abstract

(R)-Amination mediated by (R)-specific ω-transaminases generally requires costly d-alanine in excess to obtain the desired chiral amines in high yield. Herein, a one-pot, trienzymatic cascade comprising an (R)-specific ω-transaminase, an amine dehydrogenase, and a formate dehydrogenase was developed for the economical and eco-friendly synthesis of (R)-chiral amines. Using inexpensive ammonium formate as the sole sacrificial agent, the established cascade system enabled efficient ω-transaminase-mediated (R)-amination of various ketones, with high conversions and excellent ee (>99%); water and CO2 were the only waste products.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't