One‐Pot Synthesis of Chiral N ‐Arylamines by Combining Biocatalytic Aminations with Buchwald–Hartwig N ‐Arylation

Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Sterically Hindered Biaryls by Suzuki Coupling and Vanadium Chloroperoxidase Catalyzed Halogenations

Halogenated biaryls are vital structural skeletons in bioactive products. In this study, an effective chemoenzymatic halogenation by vanadium-dependent chloroperoxidase from Camponotus inaequalis (CiVCPO) enabled the transformation of freely rotating biaryl bonds to sterically hindered axis. The yields were up to 84 % for the tribrominated biaryl products and up to 65 % when isolated. Furthermore, a one-pot, two-step chemoenzymatic strategy by incorporating transition metal catalyzed Suzuki coupling and the chemoenzymatic halogenation in aqueous phase were described. This strategy demonstrates a simplified one-pot reaction sequence with organometallic and biocatalytic procedures under economical and environmentally beneficial conditions that may inspire further research on synthesis of sterically hindered biaryls.

Reaching New Biocatalytic Reactivity Using Continuous Flow Reactors

The use of flow reactors in biocatalysis has increased significantly in recent years. Chemists have begun to design flow systems that even allow new biocatalytic reactions to take place. This concept article will focus on the design of flow systems that have allowed enzymes to go beyond their limits in batch. The case is made for moving towards fully continuous systems. With flow chemistry increasingly seen as an enabling technology for automated synthesis, and with advancements in AI-assisted enzyme design, there is a real possibility to fully automate the development and implementation of a continuous biocatalytic processes. This will lead to significantly improved enzyme processes for synthesis.

GPhos Ligand Enables Production of Chiral N-Arylamines in a Telescoped Transaminase-Buchwald-Hartwig Amination Cascade in the Presence of Excess Amine Donor

The combination of biocatalysis and chemocatalysis can be more powerful than either technique alone. However, combining the two is challenging due to typically very different reaction conditions. Herein, chiral N-aryl amines, key features of many active pharmaceutical ingredients, are accessed in excellent enantioselectivity (typically>99.5 % ee) by combining transaminases with the Buchwald-Hartwig amination. By employing a bi-phasic buffer-toluene system as well as the ligand GPhos, the telescoped cascade proceeded with up to 89 % overall conversion in the presence of excess alanine. No coupling to alanine was observed.