Practical Biotransformations

The development of new asymmetric catalytic methods is of fundamental importance to industrial synthetic chemistry. The demand for optically pure synthetic intermediates and the drive to adopt greener methods of synthesis have stimulated a growing interest in biocatalysis as a selective and environmentally benign synthetic technique. Practical Biotransformations: A Beginner's Guide provides an introduction to microbes and enzymes and demonstrates their practical applications in synthetic organic chemistry. Designed as a laboratory manual, this user-friendly guide discusses standard laboratory techniques, with appropriate advice on aspects of microbial practice and associated safety. Topics covered include: An introduction to equipment in a biotransformations laboratory An overview of biocatalyst sources Maintenance and growth of biocatalysts Example biotransformations using commercially available microbes and enzymes Basic gene cloning and the use of ‘designer’ biocatalysts This book will be a valuable resource for synthetic organic chemists with little or no experience of biochemistry or microbiology. It is the author’s hope that this text will inspire readers to consider biocatalytic methods as real alternatives to traditional synthetic solutions.

The development of new asymmetric catalytic methods is of fundamental importance to industrial synthetic chemistry. The demand for optically pure synthetic intermediates and the drive to adopt greener methods of synthesis have stimulated a growing interest in biocatalysis as a selective and environmentally benign synthetic technique. Practical Biotransformations: A Beginner's Guide provides an introduction to microbes and enzymes and demonstrates their practical applications in synthetic organic chemistry. Designed as a laboratory manual, this user-friendly guide discusses standard laboratory techniques, with appropriate advice on aspects of microbial practice and associated safety. Topics covered include: An introduction to equipment in a biotransformations laboratory An overview of biocatalyst sources Maintenance and growth of biocatalysts Example biotransformations using commercially available microbes and enzymes Basic gene cloning and the use of ‘designer’ biocatalysts This book will be a valuable resource for synthetic organic chemists with little or no experience of biochemistry or microbiology. It is the author’s hope that this text will inspire readers to consider biocatalytic methods as real alternatives to traditional synthetic solutions.

Biocatalysts are increasingly used by chemists engaged in fine chemical synthesis within both industry and academia. Today, there exists a huge choice of high-tech enzymes and whole cell biocatalysts, which add enormously to the repertoire of synthetic possibilities. Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 2 is a "how-to" guide that focuses on the practical applications of enzymes and strains of microorganisms that are readily obtained or derived from culture collections. The sources of starting materials and reagents, hints, tips and safety advice (where appropriate) are given to ensure, as far as possible, that the procedures are reproducible. Comparisons to alternative methodology are given and relevant references to the primary literature are cited. This second volume – which can be used on its own or in combination with the first volume - concentrates on new applications and new enzyme families reported since the first volume. Contents include: introduction to recent developments and future needs in biocatalysts and synthetic biology in industry reductive amination enoate reductases for reduction of electron deficient alkenes industrial carbonyl reduction regio- and stereo- selective hydroxylation oxidation of alcohols selective oxidation industrial hydrolases and related enzymes transferases for alkylation, glycosylation and phosphorylation C-C bond formation and decarboxylation halogenation/dehalogenation/heteroatom oxidation tandem and sequential multi-enzymatic syntheses Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 2 is an essential collection of biocatalytic methods for chemical synthesis which will find a place on the bookshelves of synthetic organic chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, and process R&D chemists in industry and academia.

Biocatalysts are increasingly used by chemists engaged in fine chemical synthesis within both industry and academia. Today, there exists a huge choice of high-tech enzymes and whole cell biocatalysts, which add enormously to the repertoire of synthetic possibilities. Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 3 will be a companion book to Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (2009) and Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 2 (2012). Following the successful format of the two volumes, it will be a “how-to” guide focusing on commercially available enzymes and strains of microorganisms that are readily obtained from culture collections. The source of starting materials and reagents, hints, tips and safety advice (where appropriate) will be given to ensure, as far as possible, that the procedures are reproducible. Comparisons to alternative methodology will be given and relevant references to the primary literature will be cited. Contents include: Biotransformation Process Technology Industrial Biooxidation Hydrolase catalysed hydrolysis/synthesis Reduction Oxidation Halogenation Transferase catalysed glycosylation, methylation, etc C-C bond formation Tandem Biocatalytic Reactions Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations, Volume 3 is an essential collection of validated biocatalytic methods which will find a place on the bookshelves of synthetic organic chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, and process R&D chemists in industry and academia.

Biocatalysts are increasingly used by chemists engaged in fine chemical synthesis within both industry and academia. Today, there exists a huge choice of high-tech enzymes and whole cell biocatalysts, which add enormously to the repertoire of synthetic possibilities. Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 3 will be a companion book to Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (2009) and Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 2 (2012). Following the successful format of the two volumes, it will be a “how-to” guide focusing on commercially available enzymes and strains of microorganisms that are readily obtained from culture collections. The source of starting materials and reagents, hints, tips and safety advice (where appropriate) will be given to ensure, as far as possible, that the procedures are reproducible. Comparisons to alternative methodology will be given and relevant references to the primary literature will be cited. Contents include: Biotransformation Process Technology Industrial Biooxidation Hydrolase catalysed hydrolysis/synthesis Reduction Oxidation Halogenation Transferase catalysed glycosylation, methylation, etc C-C bond formation Tandem Biocatalytic Reactions Practical Methods for Biocatalysis and Biotransformations, Volume 3 is an essential collection of validated biocatalytic methods which will find a place on the bookshelves of synthetic organic chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, and process R&D chemists in industry and academia.

The use of natural catalysts - enzymes - for the transformation of non-natural is not at all new: they have been used for more man-made organic compounds than one hundred years, employed either as whole cells, cell organelles or isolated enzymes [1]. Certainly, the object of most of the early research was totally different from that of the present day. Thus the elucidation of biochemical pathways and enzyme mechanisms was in the foreground of the reasearch some decades ago. It was mainly during the 1980s that the enormous potential of applying natural catalysts to transform non-natural organic compounds was recognized. What started as a trend in the late 1970s could almost be called a fashion in synthetic organic chemistry in the 1990s. Although the early euphoria during the 'gold rush' in this field seems to have eased somewhat, there is still no limit to be seen for the future development of such methods. As a result of this extensive, recent research, there have been an estimated 5000 papers published on the subject [2]. To collate these data as a kind of 'super-review' would clearly be an impossible task and, furthermore, such a hypothetical book would be unpalatable for the non-expert.

Industrial Biotransformations - a user-friendly and application-oriented up-to-date overview of one-step biotransformations of industrial importance. The data conferring each process is arranged in a convenient format to survey so that the processes can easily be compared. Each set of data is accompanied by key literature citations. As far as flow sheets of the processes are available, these are given reduced to their significant elements. An extensive index classified by substrates, products, enzymes, and companies provides direct access to each process organized in the order of enzyme classes. The reader will find all significant parameters characterizing the biotransformation itself and the process.