In the investigation of efficient chemical transformations, the carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions play an outstanding role. In this context, organocatalytic processes have achieved considerable attention. 1 Beside their facile reaction course, selectivity, and environmental friendliness, new synthetic strategies are made possible. Particularly, the inversion of the classical reactivity (Umpolung) opens up new synthetic pathways. 2 In nature, the coenzyme thiamine (vitamin B1), a natural thiazolium salt, utilizes a catalytic variant of this concept in biochemical processes as nucleophilic acylations. 3 The catalytically active species is a nucleophilic carbene. 4

Organocatalysis by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

Organocatalytic Reactions Enabled by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes.

Organocatalyzed reactions represent an attractive alternative to metal-catalyzed processes notably because of their lower cost and benign environmental impact in comparison to organometallic catalysis. In this context, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been studied for their ability to promote primarily the benzoin condensation. Lately, dramatic progress in understanding their intrinsic properties and in their synthesis have made them available to organic chemists. This has resulted in a tremendous increase of their scope and in a true explosion of the number of papers reporting NHC-catalyzed reactions. Here, we highlight the ever-increasing number of reactions that can be promoted by N-heterocyclic carbenes.

N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes as Organocatalysts

Semi-rational approaches to engineering enzyme activity: combining the benefits of directed evolution and rational design.

Transition metal catalysis is a powerful means of effecting organic reactions, but it has some inherent drawbacks, such as the cost of the catalyst and the toxicity of the metals. Organocatalysis represents an attractive alternative and, in some cases, offers transformations unparalleled in metal catalysis. Unique transformations are a particular hallmark of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) organocatalysis, a versatile method for which a number of modes of action are known. The NHC-catalyzed umpolung (that is, the inversion of polarity) of electrophilic aldehydes, through formation of the nucleophilic Breslow intermediate, is probably the most important mode of action. In this Account, we discuss the reaction of Breslow intermediates with unconventional reaction partners.In two traditional umpolung reactions, the benzoin condensation and the Stetter reaction, some selectivity issues represent significant challenges, especially in intermolecular variants of these reactions. In intermolecular cross-benzoin reac...

Extending NHC-Catalysis: Coupling Aldehydes with Unconventional Reaction Partners

Highly enantioenriched mixed benzoins are obtained selectively through a biocatalytical cross-coupling reaction of aromatic aldehydes using ThDP-dependent enzymes.

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Development of a donor-acceptor concept for enzymatic cross-coupling reactions of aldehydes: the first asymmetric cross-benzoin condensation.

Starting from a thorough investigation of mechanistic aspects of ThDP-dependent (ThDP = thiamin diphosphate) enzymes in combination with mutagenesis studies and a detailed substrate screening, new general synthetic methods have been developed based on Umpolung reactions by thiamin catalysis. A selective donor-acceptor concept was established leading to the first asymmetric cross-benzoin condensation, and a kinetic racemic resolution through C-C bond cleavage was developed. With these tools and in combination with protein engineering, we approached the synthesis of new chiral building blocks on a preparative scale. An outlook is given with respect to the potential of other ThDP-dependent enzymes as catalysts in asymmetric synthesis.

Thiamin-diphosphate-dependent enzymes: new aspects of asymmetric C-C bond formation.

Benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD) from Pseudomonas putida was subjected to directed molecular evolution to generate mutants with increased carboligase activity which is a side reaction of the enzyme. After a single round of random mutagenesis mutants were isolated which exhibited a 5-fold increased carboligase activity in aqueous buffer compared to the wild-type enzyme with a high enantiomeric excess of the product (S)-2-hydroxy-1-phenyl-propanone. From the same library, mutants with enhanced carboligase activity in water-miscible organic solvents have been isolated. The selected mutants have been characterized by sequencing, revealing that all mutants carry a mutation at Leu476, which is close to the active site but does not directly interact with the active center. BFD-L476Q has a 5-fold higher carboligase activity than the wild-type enzyme. L476 was subjected to saturation mutagenesis yielding eight different mutants with up to 5-fold increased carboligase activity. Surprisingly, all L476 mutants catalyze the formation of 2-hydroxy-1-phenyl-propanone with significantly higher enantioselectivity than the wild-type enzyme although enantioselectivity was not a selection parameter. Leu476 potentially plays the role of a gatekeeper of the active site of BFD, possibly by controlling the release of the product. The biocatalyst could be significantly improved for its side reaction, the C-C bond formation and for application under conditions that are not optimized in nature.

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Improving the carboligase activity of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida by a combination of directed evolution and site-directed mutagenesis.

Alteration of the substrate specificity of thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD) by error-prone PCR is described. Two mutant enzymes, L476Q and M365L-L461S, were identified that accept ortho-substituted benzaldehyde derivatives as donor substrates, which leads to the formation of 2-hydroxy ketones. Both variants, L476Q and M365L-L461S, selectively catalyze the formation of enantiopure (S)-2-hydroxy-1-(2-methylphenyl)propan-1-one with excellent yields, a reaction which is only poorly catalyzed by the wild-type enzyme. Different ortho-substituted benzaldehyde derivatives, such as 2-chloro-, 2-methoxy-, or 2-bromobenzaldehyde are accepted as donor substrates by both BFD variants as well and conversion with acetaldehyde resulted in the corresponding (S)-2-hydroxy-1-phenylpropan-1-one derivatives. As deduced from modeling studies based on the 3D structure of wild-type BFD, reduction of the side chain size at position L461 probably results in an enlarged substrate binding site and facilitates the initial binding of ortho-substituted benzaldehyde derivatives to the cofactor ThDP.

Alteration of the substrate specificity of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida by directed evolution.

A novel assay has been developed for the detection of (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol, (R)-PAC, a chiral intermediate in the industrial synthesis of ephedrine. It is the product of a biotransformation of benzaldehyde catalysed by the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase. The assay, using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, enables high-throughput photometric analysis of the activity of the enzyme thus avoiding time-consuming chromatographic procedures.

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=82458&aid=2136

Bettina Lingen

Papers

Development of a donor-acceptor concept for enzymatic cross-coupling reactions of aldehydes: the first asymmetric cross-benzoin condensation.

Thiamin-diphosphate-dependent enzymes: new aspects of asymmetric C-C bond formation.

Improving the carboligase activity of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida by a combination of directed evolution and site-directed mutagenesis.

Alteration of the substrate specificity of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida by directed evolution.

High-throughput assay of (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol synthesized by pyruvate decarboxylase