Chiral alcohols biocatalytic preparation

For a long time, kinetic resolution of alcohols via enantioselective oxidation or via acyl transfer employing, for example, lipases along with dynamic kinetic resolution have been the biocatalytic methods of choice for the preparation of chiral alcohols. In recent years, however, impressive progress has been made in the use of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) and ketor-eductases (KREDs) for the asymmetric synthesis of alcohols by stereoselective reduction of the corresponding ketones. Furthermore, recent remarkable multienzymatic systems have been successfully applied to the deracemisation of alcohols via stereoinversion based on an enantioselective oxidation followed by an asymmetric reduction. 

Many stereo- and regioselective redox reactions have been carried out on a preparative scale by the catalysis of enzymes or microorganisms. The majority of these reactions involves the reduction of keto groups to chiral secondary alcohols or derivatives thereof Not only the reductions of CX-double bonds, but also selective dehydrogenations are of interest. A well-known example of a regioselective biocatalytic dehydrogenation is the formation of L-sorbose from D-sorbitol which is actually the key step in the synthesis of vitamin C. 

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