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Biocatalysis & Biotransformations

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Biocatalysis & biotransformations was submitted to EPSRC with the aim of strengthening Hub capability, growing UK excellence in this fundamental area of catalysis, and integrate biocatalysis research across the full remit of the Hub’s catalysis portfolio. Biocatalytic processes underpin future manufacturing routes across the entirety of the chemical sciences, with all principal sectors of the industry (pharmaceuticals, home and personal care, food and drink, polymers, crop protection and lubricants) being dependent on advances in the area.

See highlight projects and publications below:

Highlight:

Combined Au/amine oxidase catalysis for cyclic amine synthesis (PI Turner [Manchester], Greaney [Manchester]) The combination of biocatalysis with metal-mediated catalysis provides unexplored opportunities for creating new synthetic pathways.

The combination of biocatalysis with metal-mediated catalysis provides unexplored opportunities for creating new synthetic pathways. Within the Biocatalysis Theme of the Hub, a cross-dehydrogenative coupling process has been developed involving the enzymatic oxidation of tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQ) together with gold-catalyzed C–C bond-formation. The transformation demonstrates the compatibility of gold mediated chemocatalysis and monoamine oxidase biocatalysis which act co-operatively in one vessel. A range of N-alkyl THIQs were functionalized in this manner at C-(1) position in high yields. This work has been published in ACS Catalysis in article titled, “Concurrent Biocatalytic Oxidation and C–C Bond Formation via Gold Catalysis: One-Pot Alkynylation of N-Alkyl Tetrahydroisoquinolines”.

Find further biocatalysis projects at the main Cat Hub website

Publications:

Title: An efficient chemoenzymatic synthesis of dihydroartemisinic acid
Authors: M. Demiray, X. Tang, T. Wirth, J.A. Faraldos, R. K. Allemann
Journal: Angew. Chem. 2017, 129, 4411-4415; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 4347-4350 LINK
Title: Optimising terpene synthesis with flow biocatalysis
Authors: Tang, R. K. Allemann, T. Wirth
Journal: Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 414-418 LINK

Further publications can be found at the UK Catalysis Hub website – https://ukcatalysishub.co.uk/publications/