A tandem Aldol condensation/dehydration co-catalyzed by acylase and N-heterocyclic compounds in organic media

A tandem Aldol condensation/dehydration of aldehydes and ketones could be performed under d-aminoacylase and N-heterocyclic compounds used as co-catalyst in organic media. Some control experiments have been designed to demonstrate that either acylase or N-heterocyclic compounds could not catalyze the tandem reaction. The acylase showed the highest activity in the presence of imidazole and has been used to catalyze the tandem Aldol condensation/dehydration between different aldehydes and ketones. This method has provided a new strategy to perform the tandem Aldol condensation/dehydration and expanded the application of biocatalysts.