PRODUCTION OF OPTICALLY ACTIVE PHENYL GLYCIDATE

摘要

PURPOSE: To obtain an optically active phenyl glycidate which is useful as a synthetic intermediate for medicinal compounds by carrying out physically or chemically the optical resolution of a racemic mixture of a trans-phenyl glycidate. CONSTITUTION: A racemic mixture of trans-3-phenyl glycidate of the formula (ring A is benzene ring; R is the residual group of ester) is allowed to react with (A) an alcohol of the formula: R<1> OH (R<1> is an ester residue differing from R) in the presence of (B) an enzyme capable of performing transesterification stereo-selectively to esterify only one optical isomer selectively to collect either the one optically active transesterified isomer or the other not-transesterified isomer. Then, the remaining other optically active isomer is allowed to react with (C) another alcohol of the formula: R<2> OH (R<2> is an ester residue differing from the other ester) to effect the transesterification and the chemical isolation, thereby the D- and L-isomers are separately obtained from a racemate.