Bridging racemic lactate esters with stereoselective polylactic acid using commercial lipase catalysis

Abstract

A productive and enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic mixtures of lactate esters with commercial Candida rugosa lipase was performed. This step contributes to a novel envisioned route for stereoselective PLA production by combining recent chemocatalytic developments with this biocatalytic contribution, foreseeing two separate L- and D-lactate enantiomer streams. A study of the hydrolysis kinetics identified an unexpected rate determining step at the origin of an unprecedented ester reactivity order.