PREPARATION OF OPTICALLY-ACTIVE CYANOHYDRINS USING THE (S)-HYDROXYNITRILE LYASE FROM HEVEA-BRASILIENSIS

Several aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes have been con verted into the chiral cyanohydrins using the (S)-hydroxynitrilelyase from Hevea brasiliensis. The corresponding cyanohydrins were obtained in moderate to good yield and high enantiomeric excess with the exepti on of phenyloxyacetaldehyde, benzyloxyacetaldehyde and the pyrrole-, p yridine- and indolealdehydes investigated. In contrast to previously r eported results, cinnamaldehyde could be converted into (S)-()-2-hydro xy-4-phenyl-(E)-but-3-enenitrile with good selectivity by means of opt imized reaction conditions. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd