Process for the enzymatic preparation of enantiopure 1, 3-dioxolan-4-one and 1,3-oxathiolan-5-one derivatives

1. A process for preparing an enantiopure substituted 1,3-dioxolan-4-one or an enantiopure substituted 1,3-oxathiolan-5-one which comprises

bringing a mixture containing a substance selected from the group consisting of a recemic 1,3-dioxolan-4-one and a racemic 1,3-oxathiolan-5-one and an enzyme with hydrolytic activity into contact with an effective amount of a nucleophile to effect the biotransformation; cleaving the dioxolane or oxathiolane ring of one enantiomer selected from the group consisting of the 1,3-dioxolan-4-one ring and the 1,3-oxathiolan-5-one ring by the enzyme with hydrolytic activity; and

after the cleaving of one enantiomer has taken place, isolating the uncleaved enantiomer selected from the group consisting of the 1,3-dioxolan-4-one and 1,3-oxathiolane-5-one.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein a mixture containing a substance selected from the group consisting of the racemic substituted 1,3-dioxolan-4-one and the racemic substituted 1,3-oxathiolan-5-one is cleaved by means of an enzyme which is able to cleave an ester linkage in the presence of a nucleophile (NuH) as depicted in the equation,

where X=oxygen or sulfur and

the radicals R 1 and R 2 are different and are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of H, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 8 -cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 8 -cycloalkyl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 8 -cycloalkyl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted CR 8 R 9 —O n —(CO) m —R 10 and

the radicals R 3 and R 4 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of H, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl,

substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -cycloalky, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 8 -cycloalkyl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, and substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -cycloalkyl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl or

the radicals R 3 and R 4 form, together with the carbon to which they are bonded, an unsubstituted or substituted or a heteroatom-containing cycloalkylidene and

Nu is OR 5 , SR 5 or NR 6 R 7 , where

the radical R 5 is selected from the group consisting of H, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, and

the radicals R 6 and R 7 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of H, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, and substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl

and the radicals R 8 and R 9 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 1 -C 18 -alkoxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 6 -C 18 -aryloxy-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -cycloalkyl-C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, and substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -cycloalkyl-C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl or

the radicals R 8 and R 9 form, together with the carbon to which they are bonded, an unsubstituted or substituted or a heteroatom-containing cycloalkylidene, and m and n are, independently of one another, 0 or 1, and the following applies to the radical R 10 :

if m is 0 then the radical R 10 is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl and substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 6 -C 18 -aryl, substituted or unsubstitued C 3 -C 18 -heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstituted silaalkyl and substituted or unsubstitued silaaryl, and

if m is 1 then the radical R 10 is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 18 -alkyl, substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkenyl and substituted or unsubstitued C 2 -C 18 -alkynyl; and

said each substituted radical is substituted by a group selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynl, aryl, heteroaryl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, carboxylate, alkoxycarbonyl, amino, nitro, and halo; and

wherein if said radical contain a heteroatom, it is selected from the group consisting of O, N, and S.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the enzyme with hydrolytic activity is selected from the group consisting of a lipase and an esterase.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the enzyme is employed in a manner selected from the group consisting of in solution form and in immobilized form.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the enzyme to dioxolanone or oxathiolanone ratio, calculated as molar ratio between enzyme and dioxolanone or oxathiolanone, is from 1:1,000 to 1:50,000,000.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the nucleophile is an oxygen-containing nucleophile.

7. The process as claimed in claim 6 ,

wherein the oxygen-containing nucleophile is selected from the group consisting of a lower unbranched alcohol and water.

8. The process as claimed in claim 7 ,

wherein the lower unbranched alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol and ethanol.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

which is carried out in the presence of a solvent.

10. The process as claimed in claim 9 ,

wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers, alcohols, esters, acetonitrile and mixtures thereof.

11. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the reaction is carried out at temperatures between 0 and 75° C.

12. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the reaction is carried out for between 10 minutes and 7 days.

13. The process as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the uncleaved enantiomer is isolated by removing byproducts of the reaction.

14. The process as claimed in claim 13 ,

wherein the byproducts are removed by a manner selected from the group consisting of extraction and distillation.