Enzymatic synthesis of esthers in organic solvents. Selected problems

Antczak, Tadeusz

doi:0860-7796

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Title: Enzymatic synthesis of esthers in organic solvents. Selected problems

Abstract:

Water, which is the natural environment of vital processes, is essential for lipases activity in vivo, but invitro it can be substituted by an organic solvent. Under these novel conditions lipases exhibit the ability ofesther synthesis. The replacement of water with an organic solvent is qualitatively and quantitatively limited because of chemical and physical properties of organic solvents. The qualitative limitations are theconsequence of the destruction of catalytic conformation (as a resulting from) polar reactions. The quantitative limitations are also the result of polar reactions which are indirectly expressed as the ability of an organic solvent to mix with water and are realised as the penetration of environmental ingredients to the essential water layer which covers the enzyme molecules. Both the limit and the kind of the penetrationdirectly affect the preservation of the enzyme catalytic conformation.The indispensable water layer which thermodynamically stabilizes the enzyme molecule in the environment of organic solvent is partially replaced by other environmental ingredients which form hydrogenbonds with functional and active groups of protein i.e. formamide, DMF, pyridine, that in the final consequence may cause an increase of en::> latic activity. In this paper the examples of lipases applications forsynthesis of various esthers are deser- ed.