Deracemization, which includes conversion of racemic mixtures to a single enantiomer, is an optimum substitute for kinetic resolution, which suffers from the intrinsic drawback of being limited to 50% yield. The research interest of Musa group is focused on asymmetric synthesis using the most chemo-, regio-, and stereo-selective catalysts - enzymes - (i.e., biocatalysis). More specifically, the group’s focus is to develop new biocatalytic approaches for deracemization of alcohols using robust enzymes such as Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH). This includes cyclic deracemization and deracemization via stereoinversion. Moreover, the group uses alcohol dehydrogenases as racemization catalysts to enable bienzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution. Encapsulation of enzymes is an important approach to enable their reuse and utilization in non-aqueous media. Extensive efforts in our laboratory are directed towards encapsulation of alcohol dehydrogenases to improve their performance in non-aqueous media, and thus make these redox reactions compatible with other important organic reactions such as kinetic resolution.
The design and implementation of synthetic approaches for enantiopure alcohols using sustainable biocatalytic deracemization and stereoinversion strategies is central to the research interest of the Musa group. These biocatalytic approaches provide greener alternatives to traditional methods that use harmful catalysts.
