Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore, 117585, Singapore.
College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, China.
Nat Commun. 2020 Sep 29;11(1):4899. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18532-3.
Chemical synthesis of amino acids from renewable sources is an alternative route to the current processes based on fermentation. Here, we report visible-light-driven amination of biomass-derived α-hydroxyl acids and glucose into amino acids using NH at 50 °C. Ultrathin CdS nanosheets are identified as an efficient and stable catalyst, exhibiting an order of magnitude higher activity towards alanine production from lactic acid compared to commercial CdS as well as CdS nanoobjects bearing other morphologies. Its unique catalytic property is attributed mainly to the preferential formation of oxygen-centered radicals to promote α-hydroxyl acids conversion to α-keto acids, and partially to the poor H evolution which is an undesired side reaction. Encouragingly, a number of amino acids are prepared using the current protocol, and one-pot photocatalytic conversion of glucose to alanine is also achieved. This work offers an effective catalytic system for amino acid synthesis from biomass feedstocks under mild conditions.
从可再生资源中合成氨基酸是替代目前基于发酵的工艺的一种途径。在这里，我们报告了在 50°C 下使用 NH3 通过可见光驱动生物质衍生的α-羟基酸和葡萄糖胺化成氨基酸。超薄的 CdS 纳米片被鉴定为一种高效且稳定的催化剂，与商业 CdS 以及具有其他形态的 CdS 纳米物体相比，其对乳酸生成丙氨酸的活性要高出一个数量级。它独特的催化性能主要归因于优先形成氧中心自由基，以促进α-羟基酸转化为α-酮酸，部分归因于不良的 H 演化，这是一种不希望发生的副反应。令人鼓舞的是，使用当前方案制备了多种氨基酸，并且还实现了葡萄糖一锅光催化转化为丙氨酸。这项工作为温和条件下从生物质原料合成氨基酸提供了一种有效的催化体系。
