Biocatalytic Conversion of Aromatic Waste into Useful Compounds: Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids and Oligo Inositols

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

Professor Tomas Hudlicky, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida, is supported by the Organic Synthesis Program for his studies of the biocatalytic conversion of aromatic waste into useful compounds. Through whole-cell fermentation of aromatic and halogenated aromatic compounds with Pseudomonas putida or a corresponding recombinant strain (E. coli JM109A), Professor Hudlicky generates homochiral synthons useful for further manipulation to desired target molecules. His studies are leading to the isolation and identification of new metabolites, including those derived from aromatic substrates containing chiral centers on their side chains, and to the synthesis and chemical evaluation of oligoinositols. Taking advantage of the unusual homochiral precursors made readily accessible through his biocatalytic studies, Professor Hudlicky is developing a concise synthesis of pancratistatin, a promising but hard-to-obtain antitumor agent. This synthesis not only exploits the environmentally benign aspects of the biocatalytic conversion of aromatic compounds, but also allows a number of synthetic manipulations to be carried out in water or alcohol instead of more hazardous conventional organic solvents. Consideration of environmental impacts is playing an increasingly important role in chemical processing and manufacturing. "Green" chemical approaches include the use of renewable resources, alternative solvents and reagents, the design of efficient chemical syntheses, and the recycling of waste as feedstock for other processes. With the support of the Organic Synthesis Program, Professor Tomas Hudlicky, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida, is investigating methods for the conversion of aromatic waste, especially halogen-containing compounds, into valuable products. Through exploitation of the catalytic activity of microorganisms, Professor Hudlicky is able to convert such wastes into a variety of compounds which promise to serve as chemical precursors to materials of biomedical, material, and environmental significance. These studies are "green" not only in their use of chemical wastes as starting materials, but also in their synthetic efficiency and in their use of environmentally friendlier solvents.