Enzyme-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis of poly(ethylene glycol)-supported carbonates

Kinetic resolution of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-supported carbonates by enzymatic hydrolysis is discussed. Water-soluble carbonates are prepared by immobilization of racemic secondary alcohols onto low-molecular weight monomethoxy PEG (MPEG) through a carbonate linker. Porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) enantioselectively catalyzes the hydrolysis of the substrates to give optically active compounds. In this system, the separation of the resulting alcohols and the remaining substrates is achieved by an extraction process without laborious column chromatography. The carbonates are easily hydrolyzed with K2CO3 to afford the corresponding alcohols.