PRODUCTION OF D-ALPHA-PHENYLGLYCINE

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain the subject compound useful as a raw material for medicines and agricultural chemicals from raw materials available at a low cost according to chemical synthesis in a remarkably high yield by specifically hydrolyzing DL-alpha-phenylglycinonitrile in an aqueous medium using a specific microorganism. CONSTITUTION:A microorganism [e.g. Casecbacter sp. BC4 (FERM P-11260)] having optically specific nitrile hydrolytic activity for DL-alpha-phenylglycinonitrile is used in an aqueous medium to convert the aforementioned nitrile into the objective compound. Furthermore, ammonia and cyanide ions are preferably present in the reaction system and the above-mentioned system is preferably regulated to pH7-11 from the viewpoint of improvement in yield.