Projects per year
Abstract
Silicatein-α (Silα), a hydrolytic enzyme derived from siliceous marine sponges, is one of the few enzymes in nature capable of catalysing the metathesis of silicon–oxygen bonds. It is therefore of interest as a possible biocatalyst for the synthesis of organosiloxanes. To further investigate the substrate scope of this enzyme, a series of condensation reactions with a variety of phenols and aliphatic alcohols were carried out. In general, it was observed that Silα demonstrated a preference for phenols, though the conversions were relatively modest in most cases. In the two pairs of chiral alcohols that were investigated, it was found that the enzyme displayed a preference for the silylation of the S-enantiomers. Additionally, the enzyme’s tolerance to a range of solvents was tested. Silα had the highest level of substrate conversion in the nonpolar solvents n-octane and toluene, although the inclusion of up to 20% of 1,4-dioxane was tolerated. These results suggest that Silα is a potential candidate for directed evolution toward future application as a robust and selective biocatalyst for organosiloxane chemistry.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 879 |
Journal | Catalysts |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 22 Jul 2021 |
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
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Dive into the research topics of 'Biocatalytic Silylation: The Condensation of Phenols and Alcohols with Triethylsilanol'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals
Scrutton, N., Azapagic, A., Balmer, A., Barran, P., Breitling, R., Delneri, D., Dixon, N., Faulon, J., Flitsch, S., Goble, C., Goodacre, R., Hay, S., Kell, D., Leys, D., Lloyd, J., Lockyer, N., Martin, P., Micklefield, J., Munro, A., Pedrosa Mendes, P., Randles, S., Salehi Yazdi, F., Shapira, P., Takano, E., Turner, N. & Winterburn, J.
14/11/14 → 13/05/20
Project: Research