Enantioselective synthesis of cyanohydrins catalysed by hydroxynitrile lyases – a review

The first enantioselective synthesis was the selective addition of cyanide to benzaldehyde catalysed by a hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL). Since then these enzymes have developed into a reliable tool in organic synthesis. HNLs to prepare either the (R)- or the (S)-enantiomer of the desired cyanohydrin are available and a wide variety of reaction...