A series of novel chiral Lewis base catalysts were synthesized from L-serine and applied in the hydrosilylation of β-enamino esters, in which the optimal one promoted the reactions to afford a wide variety of β-amino esters in good yields with good enantioselectivities. It is noteworthy that several cyclic substrates were hydrosilylated under the optimal conditions to give the cyclic β-amino es...

Reaction of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, alkanes, sterols, sterol esters and triglycerides with the so-called aromatic peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita was investigated using GC-MS. Regioselective hydroxylation of C(12)-C(20) saturated/unsaturated fatty acids was observed at the ω-1 and ω-2 positions (except myristoleic acid only forming the ω-2 derivative). Minor hydroxylation at ω and ω-3 ...

Wild-type Candida tenuis xylose reductase and two Trp-23 mutants thereof catalyze NADH-dependent reduction of a homologous series of aromatic alpha-keto esters with absolute pseudo re-face stereoselectivity and broad tolerance for the substituent on the aromatic ring, producing the corresponding R-alcohols in high yield.

A useful Michael addition reaction using nitroalkanes as the nucleophile and 4-oxo-enoates as the Michael acceptor has been disclosed, and the reaction allows expedient access to functionalized chiral gamma-keto esters in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee), with a low catalyst loading.