Renewable Resource‐Based Building Blocks/Chirons for the Total Synthesis of Natural Products

The role of biocatalysis in the asymmetric synthesis of alkaloids – an update

“…The traditional source for these building blocks – the ‘chiral pool’ of naturally occurring amino acids, sugars, and terpenes – has recently enjoyed a renewed interest from organic chemists as they strive to incorporate renewable feedstocks into their synthesis routes. 34 Alternatively, biocatalytic transformations can be used to prepare a wide range of chiral building blocks, which can often be tailored more closely to the desired target structure than the compounds available in nature. 35 This strategy is frequently employed in alkaloid synthesis, and lipases and esterases as well as toluene dioxygenase remain the most important enzymes in this context.…”