Development of an Acid-Washable Tag for the Separation of Enantiomers from Bioresolutions

A separation tool involving the use of a vinyl ester amino acid as acyl donor in a bioresolution has been developed. The acid-washable acyl group acts as a removable tag, facilitating separation of the secondary alcohol from the bioresolution product mixture.
The use of these acyl donors from cheap, commercially available amino acids has been demonstrated in conjunction with the hydrolase enzyme Candida antarctica lipase B in the selective acylation of a variety of secondary alcohols.