Abstract
A number of bacteria and yeast was screened for asymmetric reduction of prochiral chloroacetone into chiral 1-chloro-2-propanol, which is chemically convertible into chiral 1,2-epoxypropane. In this way Rhodotorula glutinis produced optically pure S-1,2-epoxypropane with 98% enantiomeric excess and in a relatively high final concentration. The enzyme that catalysed the asymmetric reduction was an NAD(P)H-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. Reduction of racemic 3-chloro-2-butanone resulted in mixtures of cis and trans-2,3-epoxybutane, indicating that no enantioselective reduction of this haloketone occurred.
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Correspondence to: C. A. G. M. Weijers
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Weijers, C.A.G.M., Litjens, M.J.J. & de Bont, J.A.M. Synthesis of optically pure 1,2-epoxypropane by microbial asymmetric reduction of chloroacetone. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 38, 297–300 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170075
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170075