Ultrasound-Assisted Enantioselective Esterification of Ibuprofen Catalyzed by a Flower-Like Nanobioreactor.

A flower-like nanobioreactor was prepared for resolution of ibuprofen in organic solvents. Ultrasound irradiation has been used to improve the enzyme performance of APE1547 (a thermophilic esterase from the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1) in the enantioselective esterification. Under optimum reaction conditions (ultrasound power, 225 W; temperature, 45 °C; water activity, 0.21), the immobilized APE1547 showed an excellent catalytic performance (enzyme activity, 13.26 μmol/h/mg; E value, 147.1). After ten repeated reaction batches, the nanobioreactor retained almost 100% of its initial enzyme activity and enantioselectivity. These results indicated that the combination of the immobilization method and ultrasound irradiation can enhance the enzyme performance dramatically.