Sustainable synthesis of chiral profenes by selective biocatalytic oxidation

The project is about a novel approach for the synthesis of enantiopure α-aryl propionic acids (profens). Instead of commonly used kinetic resolution of the chemically synthesized products, profens will be produced in a quantitative yield by enzymatic dynamic-kinetic resolution. Therefore, advanced enzymes, suitable for industrial application, will be developed and continuously optimized. This will be reached by (semi-) rational enzyme design as well as by development of robust and reusable enzymes at the processual level. Using of innovative aerobic and electrochemical regeneration systems result in a nearly waste-free process. At an early stage, evaluation of the developed catalysts, regeneration and downstream processing concepts under industrial aspects will make easy for application in preperative scale. Furthermore estimation of economical efficiency of the developed process and comparison with established processes will be possible in this way.