Enzymatic transformations. Part 55: Highly productive epoxide hydrolase catalysed resolution of an azole antifungal key synthon

A highly productive bioprocess for the preparation of enantiopure azole antifungal chirons is described. These are key building blocks for the synthesis of new triazole drug derivatives known to display valuable activity against such infections as for instance fluconazole-resistant oro-oesophageal candidiasis. Using commercially available recombinant Aspergillus niger epoxide hydrolase under optimised experimental conditions, the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of 1-chloro-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-2,3-epoxypropane was performed in plain water, at room temperature, using a two-phase reactor. This methodology allowed the process to be run at a substrate concentration as high as 500 g/L (i.e., 2.5 M) and afforded the (unreacted) epoxide and the corresponding vicinal diol, both in nearly enantiopure form and quantitative yield.