Chemo-enzymatic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclopentanone and substituted cyclopentanones

Chemo-enzymatic oxidation of cyclopentanones and substituted cyclopentanones to the corresponding delta-valerolactones was investigated employing catalytic a mount of Candida antarctica lipase-B in ethyl acetate and employing urea-hydrogen peroxide its the oxidant. In contrast to the smooth oxidation of cyclohexanones to the corresponding epsilon-caprolactones, the delta-valerolactones reacted further with the lipase delivering trans-esterified products and also acetylated alcohols, depending on the structural nature of the cyclopentanones, (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.