Dynamic kinetic resolution of α-amino acid esters in the presence of aldehydes

A convenient procedure for the racemization of alpha-amino acid esters in the presence of catalytic amounts of salicylaldehydes is described. The combination of this racemization protocol with lipase-catalyzed ester hydrolysis allows successful dynamic kinetic resolution of various a-amino acid esters. The corresponding alpha-amino acids are obtained in high yield and optical purity. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008).