SULFOXIDES OF HIGH ENANTIOPURITY FROM BACTERIAL DIOXYGENASE-CATALYZEDOXIDATION

Selected strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida (previously shown to effect dioxygenase-catalysed asymmetric cis-dihydroxylation of alk enes) have been found to yield chiral sulfoxides from the correspondin g sulfides with a strong preference for the (R)- or (S)-configurations but without evidence of sulfone formation; similar results obtained u sing an Escherichia coli clone (pKST11, containing the Tod C1 C2 B and A genes encoding toluene dioxygenase from P. putida NCIMB 11767) are again consistent with a stereoselective dioxygenase-catalysed sulfoxid ation.