Lipase and esterase-catalyzed acylation of hetero-substituted nitrogen nucleophiles in water and organic solvents

Achieving cinnamic acid amides in water by a variant of acyltransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis and its immobilized form using Ni-NTA modified aspen powder as a carrier

An aqueous N-acylation reaction for preparing cinnamic acid amides was realized by using a variant of acyltransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsAcT-L12A), whereas the wild-type MsAcT showed no activity. MsAcT-L12A exhibited broad substrate adaptability, and preferred the substrates with electron-donating group. When the vinyl cinnamate (1a, 40 mM) and p-methoxyaniline (2a, 4 mM) were involved in the reaction, the excellent yield reached to 86.7 % ± 2.1 % within 3 h by MsAcT-L12A (1 mgpro./mL) in a PBS buffer (100 mM, pH 8.0) at 25 °C. The aqueous N-acylation reaction could be further improved by using an immobilized MsAcT-L12A. The biomass aspen powder (AP) as a carrier provided a low-cost, green, and environmental-friendly immobilization strategy. After it was modified by Ni-NTA, the obtained Ni-NAP could realize one-step purification and immobilization of MsAcT-L12A. The accomplished MsAcT-L12A-Ni-NAP exhibited excellent stability and recyclability, and retained its relative yield as 83.3 % ± 2.2 % even after the 7th cycle of reuse. Using only PBS buffer as a reaction medium, the operation for MsAcT-L12A-catalyzed acyl transfer was greatly simplified, and the improved stabilities of MsAcT-L12A-Ni-NAP could enhance its application potential.

Direct synthesis of amides from nonactivated carboxylic acids using urea as nitrogen source and Mg(NO3)2 or imidazole as catalysts

A new method for the direct synthesis of primary and secondary amides from carboxylic acids is described using Mg(NO3)2·6H2O or imidazole as a low-cost and readily available catalyst, and urea as a stable, and easy to manipulate nitrogen source. This methodology is particularly useful for the direct synthesis of primary and methyl amides avoiding the use of ammonia and methylamine gas which can be tedious to manipulate. Furthermore, the transformation does not require the employment of coupling or activating agents which are commonly required.

Catalytic amide formation from non-activated carboxylic acids and amines

The amide functionality is found in a wide variety of biological and synthetic structures such as proteins, polymers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Due to the fact that synthetic amides are still mainly produced by the aid of coupling reagents with poor atom-economy, the direct catalytic formation of amides from carboxylic acids and amines has become a field of emerging importance. A general, efficient and selective catalytic method for this transformation would meet well with the increasing demands for green chemistry procedures. This review covers catalytic and synthetically relevant methods for direct condensation of carboxylic acids and amines. A comprehensive overview of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic methods is presented, covering biocatalysts, Lewis acid catalysts based on boron and metals as well an assortment of other types of catalysts.

Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of fattythioic acids from palm oil

The present work focuses on the synthesis of fattythioic acids (FTAs) by a one-step lipase catalyzed reaction of palm oil with carbonothioic S,S-acid using Lipozyme. The product was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) technique and elemental analysis. The effects of various reaction parameters such as reaction time, temperature, amount of enzyme, molar ratio of substrates, and various organic solvents of the reaction system were investigated. The optimum conditions to produce FTAs were respectively, incubation time, 20 h, temperature, 40°C, amount of enzyme, 0.05 g and molar ratio of carbonothioic S,S-acid to palm oil, 5.0:1.0. Hexane was the best solvent for this reaction. The conversion of the products at optimum conditions was around 91%.

Enzymatic synthesis of palm olein-based fatty thiohydroxamic acids

Fatty thiohydroxamic acids (FTAs) have been successfully synthesized from palm olein and thiohydroxamic acid by a one-step lipase catalyzed reaction. The use of immobilized lipase (Lipozyme RMIM) as the catalyst for the preparation reaction provides an easy isolation of the enzyme from the products and other components in the reaction mixture. The FTAs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) technique and elemental analysis. The highest conversion percentage (95 %) was obtained when the process was carried out for 30 hours using urea to palm oil ratio of 6.0: 1.0 at 40 °C. The method employed offers several advantages such as renewable and abundant of the raw material, simple reaction procedure, environmentally friendly process and high yield of the product.

Enzymatic synthesis of fatty amides from palm olein

Fatty amides have been successfully synthesized from palm olein and urea by a one-step lipase catalyzed reaction. The use of immobilized lipase as the catalyst for the preparation reaction provides an easy isolation of the enzyme from the products and other components in the reaction mixture. The fatty amides were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) technique and elemental analysis. The highest conversion percentage (96%) was obtained when the process was carried out for 36 hours using urea to palm oil ratio of 5.2: 1.0 at 40 degrees C. The method employed offers several advantages such as renewable and abundant of the raw material, simple reaction procedure, environmentally friendly process and high yield of the product.