High‐Throughput Synthesis and Analysis of Acylated Cyanohydrins

• Published in: Chemistry – A European Journal
• Main Authors: Hamberg, Anders, Lundgren, Stina, Wingstrand, Erica, Moberg, Christina, Hult, Karl
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2007
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.200601638; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fchem.200601638; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/chem.200601638

Abstract The yields and optical purities of products obtained from chiral Lewis acid/Lewis base‐catalysed additions of α‐ketonitriles to prochiral aldehydes could be accurately determined by an enzymatic method. The amount of remaining aldehyde was determined after its reduction to an alcohol, whilst the two product enantiomers were analysed after subsequent hydrolysis first by the ( S )‐selective Candida antarctica lipase B and then by the unselective pig liver esterase. The method could be used for analysis of products obtained from a number of aromatic aldehydes and aliphatic ketonitriles. Microreactor technology was successfully combined with high‐throughput analysis for efficient catalyst optimization.