AI Insight
This study presents an electroenzymatic approach combining engineered thiamine-dependent enzymes with electrochemical oxidation to achieve oxidative desymmetrization of prochiral biaryl substrates. The engineered biocatalysts enable the enantioselective construction of axially chiral biaryls, a class of compounds whose chirality arises from restricted rotation around a single bond rather than a stereogenic carbon center. By coupling enzymatic catalysis with electrochemistry, the authors bypass the need for stoichiometric chemical oxidants while maintaining high enantioselectivity.
Why it matters
Axially chiral biaryls are key structural motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and asymmetric catalysts, and sustainable electroenzymatic methods for their production could reduce reliance on precious metal catalysts and hazardous reagents in industrial synthesis.
