Biocatalytic Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol Derivatives into Carboxylic Acids: From Biocatalyst Discovery to Productivity Leap in a Continuous Flow System

The one-shot green oxidation of different benzyl alcohol derivatives into the corresponding carboxylic acids was achieved by using Acetobacter malorum DSM 112354, a newly isolated strain. Oxidation of benzyl alcohol was initially optimized considering productivity after 8 h as response parameter. Under optimized conditions, a set of para-substituted benzyl alcohols was tested, showing the great versatility of Acetobacter malorum DSM 112354 which was able to oxidize all the substrates albeit with different rates and conversions. The effect of the substituent position was subsequently studied using 2-(hydroxymethyl)phenol, 3-(hydroxymethyl)phenol, and 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenol as starting materials, showing that all the substrates were efficiently transformed (74-98% molar conversion 2-24 h). Finally, the oxidation of 1,4-phenylenedimethanol gave 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid proceeded with outstanding regioselectivity, since

• Molinari, F
• Nespoli, L
• Ribul Moro, E
• Mafezoli, J
• Contente, M
• Donzella, S
• Romano, D

• University of Milan

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