Progress in asymmetric biomimetic transamination of carbonyl compounds

Transamination of alpha-keto acids with transaminases and pyridoxamine phosphate is an important process to form optically active alpha-amino acids in biological systems. Various biomimetic transamination systems have been developed for carbonyl compounds including a-keto acid derivatives, fluoroalkyl ketones, and unactivated ketones with chiral vitamin B-6 analogues, artificial transaminase mimics, chiral nitrogen sources, and chiral catalysts. This review provides a brief summary of this area.