Kinetic resolution of (R,S)-1,2-isopropylidene glycerol (solketal) ester derivatives by lipases

A study on the enantioselective hydrolysis of (R,S)-1,2-isopropylidene glycerol (4-hydroxymethyl-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane, solketal) octanoate catalyzed by different lipases was carried out. Among them, Pseudomonas sp. lipase proved to be the most effective. It was shown that the ester bearing the longer octanoyl acyl chain is a more suitable substrate for this lipase compared to the acetate counterpart. By properly combining enzyme load, temperature and reaction time, either the (S)-alcohol or the remaining ester could be obtained in moderate to high selectivities. Ethyl acetate was found to be the best solvent for the kinetic resolutions effected by such lipase but our results show that toluene may prove useful.