Vinyl 3-(Dimethylamino)propanoate as an Irreversible Acyl Donor Reagent in a Chromatography-free Lipase-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of sec-Alcohols.

The reported chemoenzymatic strategy involves the employment of vinyl 3-(dimethylamino)propanoate as an irreversible acyl donor in a chromatography-free lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution (KR) of racemic sec-alcohols. This biotransformation is achieved in a sequential manner using CAL-B to affect the kinetic resolution, followed by a simple acidic extractive work-up furnishing both KR products with excellent enantioselectivity (E>200; up to 98 % ee). The elaborated method eliminates a single-use silica gel chromatographic separation and significantly reduces organic solvent consumption to foster a more environmentally friendly chemical industry.