Asymmetric reduction of ethyl acetoacetate catalyzed by immobilized Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 cells in hydrophilic ionic liquid hybrid system

Abstract

The asymmetric reduction of ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) to ethyl (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate [(R)-EHB] using immobilized Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 cells was successfully conducted in a hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL)-containing system. The best one of all the tested watermiscible ILs was 1-(hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium hydrochloride (C2OHMIM·Cl). In C2OHMIM·Cl-aqueous buffer hybrid system, it was found that the optimal IL concentration, substrate and co-substrate concentration, reaction temperature, buffer pH and shaking rate were 0.5mol/L, 45 mmol/L, 80 mmol/L, 35°C, pH 5.5 and 200 rpm, respectively. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the initial reaction rate, the yield and the product e.e. reached 4.90 µmol/min, 95.3 and > 99.0%, respectively, which were much higher than the corresponding values reported previously. The efficient biocatalytic process mediated by the immobilized cells was feasible on 500 mL preparative scale, and the biocatalysts showed good operational stability and could be recycled for at least 10 batches.