ABSTRACT
References .......................................................................................................................... 269
The methods for the preparation of optically active compounds are of great importance in
pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries [1]. One popular method is the resolution of
racemic mixtures by enzymes such as lipases and esterases [2-16]. This method has been
widely used for the preparation of optically active alcohols, acids, and their esters. However,
the enzymatic resolution method has an intrinsic limitation; the yield cannot exceed 50% for a
single enantiomer. Thus, the resolution is usually accompanied by additional processes such
as separation, racemization, and recycling of unwanted enantiomers. The limitation, how-
ever, can be overcome if kinetic resolution could be transformed to dynamic kinetic resolution
250 Biocatalysis in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries
(DKR) by coupling with a racemization reaction for the in situ conversion of unwanted
enantiomers to products [17].
