Selective benzylic C-H hydroxylation of <i>ortho</i>-phenols has proven to be a challenging transformation using traditional chemical methods, often plagued with problems such as site-selectivity and over-oxidation. Despite these challenges, this reaction remains important, as it affords a structural motif present in many natural products. Biocatalysis allows synthetic chemists to leverage the unique abilities of enzymes to affect this transformation in a highly site-selective manner. An enzyme capable of selective hydroxylation of benzylic C-H bonds on a wide-range of phenolic substrates has been identified. This catalyst has also been used to enable chemoenzymatic routes to various natural products.

Biocatalytic benzylic C-H hydroxylation

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.