Highly regio‐ and enantioselective alcohol dehydrogenases BDHA (2,3‐butanediol dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis BGSC1A1), CDDHPm (cyclic diol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas medocina TA5), and CDDHRh (cyclic diol dehydrogenase from Rhodococcus sp. Moj‐3449) were discovered for the oxidation of racemic trans‐cyclic vicinal diols. Recombinant Escherichia coli expressing BDHA was engineered as an efficient whole‐cell biocatalyst for the oxidation of (±)‐1,2‐cyclopentanediol, 1,2‐cyclohexanediol, 1,2‐cycloheptane‐diol, and 1,2‐cyclooctanediol, respectively, to give the corresponding (R)‐α‐hydroxy ketones in >99% ee and (S,S)‐cyclic diols in >99% ee at 50% conversion in one pot. Escherichia coli (BDHA‐LDH) co‐expressing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) for intracellular regeneration of NAD+ catalyzed the regio‐ and enantioselective oxidation of (±)‐1,2‐dihydroxy‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalene to produce the corresponding (R)‐α‐hydroxy ketone in >99% ee and (S,S)‐cyclic diol in 96% ee at 49% conversion. Preparative biotransformations were also demonstrated. Thus, a novel and useful method for the one‐pot synthesis of both vicinal diols and α‐hydroxy ketones in high ee was developed via highly regio‐ and enantioselective oxidations of the racemic vicinal diols.
Monoacylation of long‐chain linear diols often encounters difficulties associated with unavoidable overacylation affording the diacylate. However, several C1‐ and C2‐symmetrical pyrrolidinopyridine (PPY) catalysts were found to effectively promote the chemoselective monoacylation of 1,5‐pentanediol. The effects of catalyst structure on the performance for the monoacylation were investigated. The amide carbonyl group(s) in the pyrrolidine ring in both C1‐ and C2‐symmetrical catalysts was(were) suggested to play the key role in selective monoacylation. On the other hand, the indolyl NH group in the amide side chain of the catalysts was found to be critically important for further increasing the chemoselectivity of monoacylation only when the catalyst has a C2‐symmetrical structure. The effects of the catalyst structure on the chemoselective monoacylation were elucidated by DFT calculations, and the origin of the precise molecular recognition for 1,5‐pentanediol by the catalysts and transition state (TS) stabilization effects by these functionalities were disclosed.