Advances in the field of biotechnology have made biotechnological processes a promising alternative for obtaining very diverse products and appear to be especially suitable for carrying out transformations where factors such as regioselectivity, chemoselectivity and enantioselectivity play a relevant role. The term biotransformation refers to the chemical modifications produced on an organic compound by living organisms (generally microorganisms or cell cultures) or its parts. In other words, it consists of the use of the catalytic power of the enzymes that intervene in the cellular metabolism of the living organisms on both endogenous and exogenous substrates. Although biotransformations have been used by man since time immemorial, especially in food production (chesse, wine, beer), it was not until the second half of the 19th century, through the brewing industry in England, that the concepts and basic discoveries around fermentation and catalysis. Starting in 1985, enzymes began to occupy an important place in organic synthesis, which is reflected in a constant increase in the number of publications on organic synthesis that contain biotransformation elements. It should be emphasized that biocatalysts (enzymes) are not limited to their natural role and in general show a high tolerance of substrates in addition to being compatible with other enzymes, which makes it possible to use them to make asymmetric synthesis of great importance in synthetic chemistry.

Lipases, a green catalyst for the enantioselective organic reactions

ACS Spring 2022

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