The studies on chemoenzymatic synthesis of Femoxetine

The studies on enzymatic kinetic resolution of 3-phenyl-4-pentenoic acid esters were performed. The obtained results demonstrated that the careful choice of biocatalyst and a reaction type are very important for successful enzymatic kinetic resolution. Kinetic resolution provides 3-phenyl-4-pentenoic acid (1) with good enantioselectivity upon esterification. That product was used as a substrate for formal synthesis of two biologically relevant compounds Femoxetine and LG 121071.