Enzyme-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis of soluble polymer-supported carboxylates

The enzyme-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis of water-soluble polymer-supported carboxylates is disclosed. The representative monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG, av MW 5000)-supported substrate was synthesized by immobilization of (±)-1-phenylethanol onto the modified MPEG (MPEG/NH₂) through an carboxylate linker with a succinate spacer. For the screening of the hydrolytic enzymes, the substrate was enantioselectively hydrolyzed by lipase from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) in a mixed solvent (hexane/buffer=9/1) at 30 °C to afford the remaining (S)-substrate and the resulting (R)-alcohol (E value>200). The products were easily separated by a simple procedure without any laborious column chromatography. The substrate was hydrolyzed with NaOH in MeOH/H₂O to afford the corresponding (S)-alcohol. We also found that the structure of the spacer between the MPEG moiety and the carboxylate linker strongly affected both the reactivity and enantioselectivity, and the substrate bearing a glutarate spacer gave the best result. Our procedure was applicable for the preparation of several optically active alcohols.