ABSTRACT
Enzymes have traditionally been used in an aqueous medium, and the vast majority of studies on kinetics and stereoselectivity of bio-organic reactions have been performed on water-based systems. However, in recent years, much interest has been devoted to the use of enzymes in media of low water content. In comparison to an aqueous reaction medium, solvents of low polarity
Are better solvents for many lipophilic substrates Can shift thermodynamic reaction equilibria toward condensation May improve thermal stability of the enzymes, enabling reactions to be carried out at higher temperatures
May lead to simpler workup, as nonpolar solvents are more easily removed by evaporation under reduced pressure
