CHIKITI MAHAVIDYALAYA

(Department of Chemistry)

A H A R A N A
:- B I K A SH M
NA M E Y ST EAR
M . Sc 1
CLASS :- :- CHEMISTRY
S
HONOUR
 ROLE
OF
BIOCATALYSIS
IN
GREEN
SYNTHESIS
 CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION (Biocatalysts)
II. TYPES OF BIOCATALYSTS
III. ADVANTAGES OF BIOCATLYST
IV. BIOCATALYSTS AND GREEN CHEMISTRY
V. ROLE OF BIOCATALYST IN GREEN SYNTHESIS
VI. COMPARE OF CHEMICAL ROUTE AND BIOLYTIC ROUTE
VII. CONCLUSIONS
 BIOCATALYSIS
 Biocatalysis refers to the use of living (biological)
systems or their parts to speed up (catalyze) chemical reactions. In
biocatalytic processes, natural catalysts, such as enzymes, perform
chemical transformations on organic compounds.
 Enzymes are biocatalysts- the catalysts of life. A catalyst is
defined as a substance that increases the velocity or rate of a
chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change in the
overall process.
 Enzymes may be defined as biocatalysts synthesized
by living cells. They are protein in nature (exception - RNA
acting as ribozyme).
 Take An Example
In the laboratory, hydrolysis of proteins by a strong acid at 100 ºC takes at least a
couple of days. The same protein is fully digested by the enzymes in gastrointestinal tract
at body temperature (37 ºC) within a couple of hours. This remarkable difference in the
chemical reactions taking place in the living system is exclusively due to enzymes. The very
existence of life is unimaginable without the presence of enzymes.
 Types of Biocatalyst
BIOCATALYST ARE FOLLOWING TYPES ;-
1. Oxidoreductases: Enzymes involved in oxidation-reduction reactions.
Oxidation Reduction
AH2 + B A + B H2
2. Transferases: Enzymes that catalyse the transfer of functional groups.
Group transfer
AX + B A+BX
3. Hydrolases: Enzymes that bring about hydrolysis of various compounds.
Hydrolysis
A B + H2O AH + BOH
4. Lyases: Enzymes specialised in the addition or removal of water, ammonia, CO 2 etc.
Addition Elimination
A- B + X-Y AX- BY
5. Isomerases: Enzymes involved in all the isomerization reactions.
Interconversion of isomers
A A’
6. Ligases: Enzymes catalysing the synthetic reactions ( Greek: ligate to bind) where two
molecules are joined together and ATP is used.
A+B A- B
 Advantages Of Bio-Catalyst

The biocatalytic conversions have many advantages in

relevance to green chemistry. Some of these are given below:
1. Most of the reactions are performed in aqueous medium at
ambient temperature and pressure.
2. The biocatalytic conversions normally involve only one step.
3. Protection and deprotection of functional groups is not
necessary.
4. The reactions are fast reactions.
5. The conversions are stereospecific.
 BIOCATALYSIS AND GREEN CHEMISTRY
1. The catalyst (an enzyme) is derived from renewable resources and is
biocompatible (sometimes even edible), biodegradable, and essentially
nonhazardous, that is, it fulfills the criteria of sustainability remarkably well.
2. Biocatalysis avoids the use of, and contamination of products by, scarce
precious metals such as palladium, platinum, and rhodium.
3. Reactions are performed in an environmentally compatible solvent (water) under
mild conditions.(ambient temperature and pressure).
4. This affords processes that are more step economic and more efficient in energy
and raw material consumption, generate less waste, and are, therefore, both
environmentally and economically more attractive than conventional routes.
5. As a direct result of the higher selectivities and milder reaction conditions,
biocatalytic processes often afford products in higher purity than traditional
chemical or chemo‐catalytic processes.
6. Enzymatic processes (but not fermentations) can be conducted in standard
multipurpose batch reactors and, hence, do not require any extra investment,
for example, for high‐pressure equipment.
7. Biocatalytic reactions are conducted under roughly the same conditions of
temperature and pressure, and, hence, it is relatively easy to integrate multiple
reactions into eco‐efficient catalytic cascade processes.
EXAMPLES OF GREEN BIOCATALYTIC PROCESSES
Pregabalin is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants.
It works by decreasing the number of pain signals that are sent out by
damaged nerves in the body.
 A Three‐Enzyme Process for Atorvastatin Intermediate
Atovastatin is used for lower cholesterol if you've been diagnosed with high blood
cholesterol and prevent heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes..
The development of a green-by-design, two-step, three-enzyme process
for the synthesis of a key intermediate in the manufacture of atorvastatin
The first step involves the biocatalytic reduction of ethyl-4-chloroacetoacetate
using a ketoreductase (KRED) in combination with glucose and a NADP-dependent glucose
dehydrogenase (GDH) for cofactor regeneration.
In the second step, a halohydrin dehalogenase (HHDH) was employed to
catalyze a nucleophilic substitution of chloride by cyanide using NaCN at neutral pH
and ambient temperature.

ethyl‐4‐chloroacetoacetate
ethyl‐4‐chloroacetoacetate

ethyl‐4‐cyano‐3‐hydroxybutyrate
COMPARE OF CHEMICAL ROUTE AND BIOLYTIC ROUTE
 CONCLUSION
1. Biocatalysis offers numerous benefits in this
context.
2. Reactions are conducted under mild conditions
employing a catalyst that is biocompatible and
biodegradable and derived from renewable
resources, thus avoiding the scarcity and product
contamination issues associated with the use of
noble metal catalysts.
3. Processes are step economic and highly selective,
resulting in higher product quality and reduced
waste generation.

In short, biocatalytic processes are green and sustainable, that

is, they are more environmentally attractive and more cost‐effective
compared to classical chemical processes.