Two decades of chemo-enzymatic Baeyer-Villiger reaction

The Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of ketones to lactones or esters is a reaction of significant interest in organic chemistry owing to very wide range of possible applications, e.g. in the synthesis of antibiotics, steroids, pheromones and monomers for polymerisation. The organic percarboxylic acids typically used as oxidants in these reactions are fairly expensive, often poorly stable and hazardous, and this consequently limits their commercial application. Therefore, the chemo-enzymatic approach appears to be a very attractive alternative. The paper presents literature reports concerning the application the use of lipase B from Candida antarctica in the chemo-enzymatic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. It involves oxidation of long- or medium-chain carboxylic acids with H2O2 or urea hydrogen peroxide to generate in situ peracid which is later used to oxidise ketones to lactones