(S)-Selective kinetic resolution was achieved through the use of a commercially available protease, which was activated with a combination of two different surfactants. The kinetic resolution (KR) process was optimized with respect to activation of the protease and to the acyl donor. The KR proved to be compatible with a range of functionalized sec-alcohols, giving good to high enantiomeric ratio values (up to >200). The enzymatic resolution was combined with a ruthenium-catalyzed racemization to give an (S)-selective dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of sec-alcohols. The DKR process works under very mild reaction conditions to give the corresponding esters in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.

Dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) of a series of 1,5-diols has been performed in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB), Pseudomonas cepacia lipase II (PS-C II), and ruthenium catalyst 4. The resulting optically pure 1,5-diacetates are useful synthetic intermediates, which was demonstrated by the syntheses of both an enantiopure 2,6-disubstituted piperidine and an enantiopure 3,5-disubstituted morpholine.

Dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) of 1,5-diols via combined lipase and ruthenium catalysis provides enantiomerically pure diacetates in high diastereoselectivity, which can serve as intermediates in natural product synthesis. This is demonstrated by the synthesis of (+)-Solenopsin A.

[reaction: see text] An efficient kinetic resolution of racemic gamma-hydroxy amides 1 was performed via Pseudomas cepacia lipase (PS-C)-catalyzed transesterification. The enzyme PS-C tolerates both variation in the chain length and different functionalities giving good to high enantioselectivity (E values of up to >250). The combination of enzymatic kinetic resolution with a ruthenium-catalyzed racemization led to a dynamic kinetic resolution. The use of 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanol as a hydrogen source to suppress ketone formation in the dynamic kinetic resolution yields the corresponding acetates in good yield and good to high enantioselectivity (ee's up to 98%). The synthetic utility of this procedure was illustrated by the practical synthesis of the versatile intermediate gamma-lactone (R)-5-methyltetrahydrofuran-2-one.

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