Enzymatic acylation reactions on ω-hydroxycyanohydrins

The enzymatic acylation of certain ω-hydroxycyanohydrins protected at the primary alcohol has been studied. The best enantioselectivities are obtained with Pseudomonas cepacia lipase (PSL-C) and Candida antarctica lipase A (CAL-A), for the ω-O-tritylated cyanohydrins. The effect of the protecting group in the enzymatic reactions has been studied using molecular modeling.