Enzymatic approaches to the preparation of chiral epichlorohydrin

Abstract

Enantiomerically pure epichlorohydrin is a key chiral synthon in the preparation of 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate, pheromones, L-carnitine, and β-adrenergic blockers. Various methods are known for obtaining the enantiomerically pure epoxides, including chemical and enzymatic approaches, but a clear understanding of the synthesis process in case of chiral epichlorohydrin is unavailable. This review gives an overview of the enzymatic approaches for preparation of the chiral epichlorohydrin, highlighting the synthetic routes using haloalcohol dehalogenase and epoxide hydrolase as biocatalysts.