Preparation of enantiomerically pure 2-hydroxypropanoic acids and oxetan-2-ones, useful as pharmaceutical intermediates, by treating a racemic oxetane with lipase and water or alcohol

摘要

Preparation of essentially enantiomerically pure 3-hydroxypropionic acids or esters (III) and oxetan-2-ones (IV) comprises reacting the racemic oxetan-2-one (I) with water or alcohol (II) is presence of lipase from Candida antarcticaor Burkholderia plantarii. Preparation of essentially enantiomerically pure 3-hydroxypropionic acids or esters of formula (III) and oxetan-2-ones of formula (IV) comprises reacting the racemic oxetan-2-one of formula (I) with R 3>OH (II) is presence of lipase from Candida antarcticaor Burkholderia plantarii. R 1>, R 2>and R 3>hydrogen, 1-10C optionally substituted alkyl, or optionally substituted (hetero)aryl, provided that R 1>and R 2>are not the same. [Image].