Higher activity with larger pockets: The figure shows a superposition of intermediates that occur in acyl transfer to (S)‐1‐phenylethanol catalyzed by Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB). Wild‐type CALB cannot accomodate the phenyl group (gray) in the stereospecificity pocket and form all of the catalytically essential H bonds. The Trp 104 Ala mutation liberates the volume in yellow, the S enantiomer is easily fitted, and the specificity constant increases by a factor of 130 000.

No abstract

The reaction yield and enantiomeric excess of O-acetylated cyanohydrin reaction products from a library of chiral catalysts can be analyzed by a three-step screening method. Alcohol dehydrogenase and NADH are used to analyze unreacted substrate. A lipase with absolute specificity converts one enantiomer to a quantifiable product before the remaining enantiomer is hydrolyzed with an unspecific esterase and quantified.