Biocatalytic Aromaticity-Breaking Epoxidation of Naphthalene and Nucleophilic Ring-Opening Reactions

Aromatic hydroxylation reactions catalyzed by heme-thiolate enzymes proceed via an epoxide intermediate. These aromatic epoxides could be valuable building blocks for organic synthesis giving access to a range of chiral trans-disubstituted cyclohexadiene synthons. Here, we show that naphthalene epoxides generated by fungal peroxygenases can...

Valorization of Small Alkanes by Biocatalytic Oxyfunctionalization

The oxidation of alkanes into valuable chemical products is a vital reaction in organic synthesis. This reaction, however, is challenging, owing to the inertness of C−H bonds. Transition metal catalysts for C−H functionalization are frequently explored. Despite chemical alternatives, nature has also evolved powerful oxidative enzymes (e. g.,...

Formate Oxidase (FOx) from Aspergillus oryzae: One Catalyst Enables Diverse H ₂ O ₂ -Dependent Biocatalytic Oxidation Reactions

An increasing number of biocatalytic oxidation reactions rely on H ₂ O ₂ as a clean oxidant. The poor robustness of most enzymes towards H ₂ O ₂ , however, necessitates more efficient systems for in situ H ₂ O ₂ generation. In analogy to the well-known formate dehydrogenase to...

Biocatalytic Oxidation Reactions: A Chemist's Perspective

Oxidation chemistry using enzymes is approaching maturity and practical applicability in organic synthesis. Oxidoreductases (enzymes catalysing redox reactions) enable chemists to perform highly selective and efficient transformations ranging from simple alcohol oxidations to stereoselective halogenations of non‐activated C−H bonds. For many of...