Aldol reaction of kojic acid using alumina supported base catalyst and enzymatic resolution of the aldol adduct by CALB

An efficient and ecofriendly aldol reaction of kojic acid with aldehydes using a heterogeneous reusable catalyst (alumina modified with base) is developed. Enzymatic hydrolytic resolution of the racemic acetylated aldol adduct 2 was achieved using lipase from Candida antarctica type B (CALB). The key feature of this enzymatic resolution is that regioselective deacetylation of ester derived from the primary alcohol located away from the stereocentre occurred in the presence of adjacent secondary acetate.