Highly selective resolution of racemic 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol by a novel strain Kurthia gibsonii SC0312

Chiral 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (PED) performs vital effect for the preparation of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and cosmetics. In the study, a newly isolated strain Kurthia gibsoniiSC0312 with the ability to selectively oxidize racemic PED to achieve (S)-PED was evaluated in the aqueous reaction system. The strain showed excellent catalytic performances within the range of pH 55-85, temperature 25-45 degrees C and the amount of cell 15mgml(-1) to 30mgml(-1). Besides, 2-hydroxyacetophenone (HAP) as the oxidation product displayed a stronger inhibition to the catalytic activity of cell, only remaining <63% of catalytic activity after incubation at 40mmoll(-1) HAP for 6h. For various metal ions, Cu2+ can obviously improve 17 times of the catalytic activity of cell at the concentration of 02mmoll(-1). Acetone can stimulate the catalytic capacity of cell to improve the optical purity of (S)-PED at the PED concentration of 80mmoll(-1), up to appropriately 94% from 854%; compared to the resting cell, growing cell exerted no positive effect in the yield and optical purity. Finally, a highly effective kinetic resolution system of racemic PED by the new strain was obtained, with the (S)-PED yield of 41% and optical purity of 94%.