Structural elucidation of a hydroxy-cineole product obtained from cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP101J2 catalysed transformation of 1,8-cineole

1,8-Cineole is an abundant natural product that has the potential to be transformed into other building blocks that could be suitable alternatives to petroleum-based chemicals. Monohydroxylation of 1,8-cineole can potentially occur at eight different carbon sites around the bicyclic ring system. Using cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP101J2 from Sphingobium yanoikuyae B2, the hydroxylation can be regioselectively directed at the C atom adjacent to the methyl-substituted quaternary bridgehead atom of 1,8-cineole. The unambiguous location of the hydroxyl functionality and the stereochemistry at this position was determined by X-ray crystal analysis. The monohydroxylated compound derived from this microorganism was determined to be (1S)-2ahydroxy-1,8-cineole (trivial name) or (1S, 4R, 6S)-1,3,3-trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2] octan-6-ol (V) (systematic), C10H18O2. In the solid state this compound exhibits an interesting O-H ...O hydrogen-bonding motif.