Deracemisation of aryl substituted α-hydroxy esters using Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330:: effect of substrate structure and mechanism

Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 was found to be an efficient biocatalyst for the deracemisation of aryl alpha-hydroxy esters (65-85% yield and 90-99% ee). A variety of aryl and aryl substituted alpha-hydroxy esters were synthesized to reflect steric and electronic effects on biocatalytic deracemisation. The mechanism of this biocatalytic deracemisation was found to be stereoinversion. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.