Reaction, greenness catalyst/enzyme

Nature provides us with the most efficient catalysts, enzymes that catalyze reactions under mild and green conditions (ie, atmospheric pressure, temperature, and aqueous solution). Efficiency and chano-, regio-, and stereoselectivity in enzyme-catalyzed reactions are so remarkable that they inspire scientists to design synthetic systems with comparable activity and selectivity [1,2], Enzymes made of proteins are more than just highly evolved catalysts. They recognize and respond to molecules other than their specific substrate and product [3]. The evolution of artificial enzymes is in its infancy and its main goal is efficient catalysis [1,3]. 

Biocatalysis refers to catalysis by enzymes. The enzyme may be introduced into the reaction in a purified isolated form or as a whole-cell micro-organism. Enzymes are highly complex proteins, typically made up of 100 to 400 amino acid units. The catalytic properties of an enzyme depend on the actual sequence of amino acids, which also determines its three-dimensional structure. In this respect the location of cysteine groups is particularly important since these form stable disulfide linkages, which hold the structure in place. This three-dimensional structure, whilst not directly involved in the catalysis, plays an important role by holding the active site or sites on the enzyme in the correct orientation to act as a catalyst. Some important aspects of enzyme catalysis, relevant to green chemistry, are summarized in Table 4.3. 

The volatiles produced by the LOX pathway and autoxidation are typically volatile aldehydes and alcohols responsible for fresh and green sensorial notes. In the LOX pathway these volatile compounds are produced in response to stress, during ripening or after damage of the plant tissue. The pathway is illustrated in Scheme 7.2. Precursors of the LOX (EC 1.13.11.12) catalysed reactions are Cis-polyunsaturated fatty acids with a (Z,Z)-l,4-pentadiene moiety such as linoleic and a-linolenic acids that are typically oxidised into 9-, 10- or 13-hydro-peroxides depending on the specificity of the LOX catalyst. These compounds are then cleaved by hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) into mainly C, C9 and Cio aldehydes, which can then be reduced into the corresponding alcohols by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH EC 1.1.1.1) (Scheme 7.2) [21, 22]. The production of volatile compounds by the LOX pathway depends, however, on the plants as they have different sets of enzymes, pH in the cells, fatty acid composition of cell walls, etc. 

This chapter focuses on the application of transition metal catalysts and enzymes for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Transition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond formations are not always very green but they often replace even less favorable conventional approaches. The key to making them really green is that they have to be easily separable and reusable. Several of these reactions, such as the hydroformylation, oligomerisation, carbonylation of alcohols and the metathesis, are therefore also treated in Chapter 1, Section 1.8 and Chapter 7, since their greener variations are performed in novel reaction media. 

While the application of enzymes and proline as catalysts for the (commercial) formation of carbon-carbon bonds is relatively new, transition metal catalysts are well established for the industrial synthesis of carbon-carbon bonds. Although in themselves not always perfectly green, transition metal catalysts often allow the replacement of multi-step and stoichiometric reaction sequences with one single catalytic step. Thus, the overall amount of waste generated and energy used is reduced drastically [61-64]. 

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