Catalytic Promiscuity of Galactose Oxidase: A Mild Synthesis of Nitriles from Alcohols, Air, and Ammonia

Abstract We report an unprecedented catalytically promiscuous activity of the copper‐dependent enzyme galactose oxidase. The enzyme catalyses the one‐pot conversion of alcohols into the related nitriles under mild reaction conditions in ammonium buffer, consuming ammonia as the source of nitrogen and dioxygen (from air at atmospheric pressure) as the only oxidant. Thus, this green method does not require either cyanide salts, toxic metals, or undesired oxidants in stoichiometric amounts. The substrate scope of the reaction includes benzyl and cinnamyl alcohols as well as 4‐ and 3‐pyridylmethanol, giving access to valuable chemical compounds. The oxidation proceeds through oxidation from alcohol to aldehyde, in situ imine formation, and final direct oxidation to nitrile.

• Publication year

  2018

• Venue

  Angewandte Chemie

• Publication date

  2018-10-08

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1002/anie.201809411PMID 30176101PMCID 6220830
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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