Photoexcited Enzymes for Asymmetric Csp3-Csp3 Cross-Electrophile Couplings

Enzymes have several advantages over conventional catalysts for organic synthesis. Over the last two decades, much effort has been made to further extend the scope of biocatalytic reactions available to synthetic chemists, particularly by expanding the repertoire of enzymes for abiological transformations. In this regard, exciting new developments in the area of photobiocatalysis enable now the introduction of non-natural reactivity in enzymes to solve long-standing synthetic challenges. A recently described example from the Hyster group demonstrates in an unprecedented way how the combination of photochemistry with enzyme catalysis empowers the catalytic asymmetric construction of Csp(3)-Csp(3) bonds with high chemo- and enantioselectivity.

Automated summary

Enzymes have several advantages over conventional catalysts in organic synthesis. Efforts have been made to expand the range of biocatalytic reactions for synthetic chemists, particularly by diversifying enzymes for non-natural transformations. Exciting developments in photobiocatalysis have enabled the introduction of non-natural reactivity in enzymes to solve long-standing synthetic challenges, as demonstrated by the recent example from the Hyster group.