Question

A practical synthesis of (r) and (s) 3- hydroxyglutaric acid monoesters by enzymatic hydrolysis with a bacterial esterase.

Answer 1

The hemihydrolysis of diethyl 3-hydroxy-glutarate with an industrial enzyme, “Esterase 30 000”, in a biphasic system allows an efficient enantio-selective synthesis of (R) and (S) 3-hydroxyglutaric acid ethyl and t-butyl monoesters in large scale and with excellent yield.