Enzyme chiral sulfoxidation

Enzyme-mediated chiral sulfoxidation has been reviewed comprehensively in historical context [188-191]. The biotransformation can be mediated by cytochrome P-450 and flavin-dependent MOs, peroxidases, and haloperoxidases. Owing to limited stability and troublesome protein isolation, a majority of biotransformations were reported using whole-cells or crude preparations. In particular, fungi have been identified as valuable sources of such biocatalysts and the catalytic entities have not been fully identified in all cases. 

Biooxidation of chiral sulfides was initially investigated in the 1960s, especially through the pioneering work of Henbest et al. [101]. Since then, many developments have been reported and are summarized in reviews [102,103], It would be helpful to reveal some structural or mechanistic details of enzymes involved in theoxidation processes. Biotransformations are also of great current interest for the preparation of chiral sulfoxides, which are useful as synthetic intermediates and chiral auxiliaries. Because extensive review of these transformations is beyond the scope of this chapter, only highlights are discussed in comparison with the abiotic enantioselective oxidations described earlier. Biooxidations by microorganisms and by isolated enzymes are discussed in Sections 6C.12.1. and 6C.12.2. 

A similiar approach was performed by van de Velde (1999), using incorporation of vanadate into an acid phosphatase (phytase) to create a semi-synthetic peroxidase similar to the heme-dependent chloroperoxidase. The latter is a useful enzyme for the asymmetric epoxidation of olefins, but less stable due to oxidation of the porphyrin ring and difficult to express outside the native fungal host. The authors exploited the structural similarity of active sites from vanadate-dependent halo-peroxidases and acid phosphatases and have shown the useful application as an enantioselective catalyst for the synthesis of chiral sulfoxides (van de Velde, 1999). 

Since the mid-2000s, biocatalysis has been demonstrated to be a very powerful tool for the preparation of optically active sulfoxides using mild conditions. Among all the biocatalysts employed for the preparation of chiral sulfoxides, in particular flavo-enzymes have proven their efficiency. Flavoprotein oxidases have been employed as... 

The oxidation of heteroatoms and, in particular, the conversion of sulfides to asymmetric sulfoxides has continued to be a highly active field in biocatalysis. In particular, the diverse biotransformations at sulfur have received the majority of attention in the area of enzyme-mediated heteroatom oxidation. This is particularly due to the versatile applicability of sulfoxides as chiral auxiliaries in a variety of transformations coupled with facile protocols for the ultimate removal [187]. 

Recent studies on isolated BVMOs using Rh-complexes as NADPH substitutes for facile cofactor recycling suggested a pivotal role of the native cofactor to generate the proper environment within chiral induction in sulfoxidation reactions. While biooxidation was still observed in the presence of the metal complex, stereoselectivity of the enzyme was lost almost completely [202]. 

Certain chalcogen structures display the phenomenon of chirality (Chapter 10.2). As with carbon,2 chirality at sulfur can influence physiological events there are many stereoselectivities in the interactions of chiral sulfur compounds with enzymes and receptor molecules. Sulfur chirality in secondary metabolites is most commonly observed with sulfonium salts, sulfoxides and sulfoximines.3... 

Enantiomerically pure sulfoxides play an important role in asymmetric synthesis either as chiral building blocks or stereodirecting groups [156]. In the last years, metal- and enzyme-catalyzed asymmetric sulfoxidations have been developed for the preparation of optically active sulfoxides. Among the metal-catalyzed processes, the Kagan sulfoxidation [157] is the most efficient, in which the sulfide is enantioselectively oxidized by Ti(OzPr)4/tBuOOH in the presence of tartrate as chirality source. However, only alkyl aryl sulfides may be oxidized by this system in high enantiomeric excesses, and poor enantioselectivities were observed for dialkyl sulfides. 

OP—OR). Thus, chiral analogs of ATP can be utilized to study enzyme stereochemistry. Similarly, chiral sul-fones and sulfoxides have proved useful in assessing the topology of a protein s active site. 

As already reported in Section II.A.2, the enzymes chloroperoxidase (CPO) and Copri-nus peroxidase (CiP) catalyze the enantioselective oxidation of aryl alkyl sulfides. If a racemic mixture of a chiral secondary hydroperoxide is used as oxidant, kinetic resolution takes place and enantiomerically enriched hydroperoxides and the corresponding alcohols can be obtained together with the enantiomerically enriched sulfoxides. An overview of the results obtained in this reaction published by Wong and coworkers, Hoft and... 

Biotin contains three chiral centers and therefore has eight stereoisomers.1819 Of these, only one, the dextrorotatory (-i-)-biotin, is biologically active.19 20 The vitamin is readily oxidized to die sulfoxide and sul-fone. The sulfoxide can be reduced back to biotin by a molybdenum-containing reductase in some bacteria (see also Chapter 16, Section H).20a Biotin is synthesized from pimeloyl-CoA (see chapter banner, p. 719 and Eq. 24-39). Four enzymes are required. Two of them, a... 

Kielbasirisky et al. (2008) have recently demonstrated the first case of enzymatic recognition of a nitrile with a P chiral snlfnr atom. Nine different commercial nitri-lases were screened using cyanomethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide as substrate all reactions occurred in a mixture of buffer phosphate and a co-solvent was used to dissolve the substrate. Very interestingly, they obtained both the acid and the amide as hydrolysis products with different ee and absolnte confignrations depending on the enzyme used (Table 17.17). 

The most efficient way to generate optically active sulfoxides is via enantiose-lective catalysis [10,11]. For this purpose enzymes and metal catalysts can be used. In this chapter, the various approaches to metal-catalyzed formation of sulfoxides based on oxidation chemistry are described. All of these methods rely on chiral transition metal complexes and, therefore, special focus will be given to a discussion of the structures of these metal-containing compounds. 

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