Microbial reduction of N-allylhydroxylamines to N-allyl-amines using clostridia

Chiral organic hydroxylamines can be reduced to the corresponding chiral amines in high yield without racemization using resting cells of C. kluyveri, C. tyrobutyricum or C. thermoaceticum in aqueous buffer with H 2 CO or Na-formate as reducing agents. These reduction systems are unselective with respect to substrate chirality and leave CC double bonds and aliphatic carbon—chlorine bonds unharmed. Considering the product inhibition by the amines optimized reaction conditions were elaborated to employ formate, and 60–120 mg wet packed cells of C. thermoaceticum for reducing 0.1 mmol substrate in 1 hour. Graphic