Dear Colleagues,

Starting from the 1960s, the use of purified enzymes has gained a great importance in fine chemicals, food, and pharmaceutical industries. The main reason for this increasing interest is the ability of purified enzymes to act as very efficient catalysts under mild reaction conditions displaying high chemo-, regio-, and enantioselectivity. Thus, shorter and “simpler” synthetic routes, implying a reduced use of protecting groups, can be planned, and the desired products can be obtained in higher yields thanks to a limited formation of byproducts. Moreover, the use of enzymes is an environmentally friendly approach matching the principles of Green Chemistry.

Among the six classes in which purified enzymes are divided, based on the reaction they catalyze, one is the most widely used by organic chemists: the class of hydrolases. As suggested by its name, this class collect enzymes that in nature are able to catalyze the reaction of cleavage of a very broad range of functional groups (i.e., esters, glycosides, anhydrides, amides, peptides, etc.) via the action of water. In addition to the advantages in common with the enzymes of the other classes, hydrolases have further attractive properties for the synthetic chemist: They do not need cofactors for their catalytic action, accept a broad range of substrates and, for many of them, are commercially available and stable in organic solvents. This means that this class of enzymes can be used not only for the hydrolysis of bonds, but also for their formation thanks to their ability to operate in “reverse mode” in organic solvents. For instance, lipases, esterases, proteases, and amidases, which are hydrolases of relevant interest in organic synthesis, can catalyze the hydrolysis or the formation of ester and amide bonds depending on the reaction conditions.

In conclusion, we can say that, when applicable, catalysis by means of hydrolases may offer attractive alternatives to classical synthetic methods due to its regio-, chemo- and stereoselectivity, low cost, ease of use, and environmentally compatible reaction conditions.

For all these reasons, this Special Issue on “Use of Hydrolases in Organic Synthesis” aims to collect papers and reviews that show the great versatility of hydrolases as useful tools for the synthesis of molecules such as, but not limited to, fine chemicals, biologically and pharmacologically active compounds, and agrochemicals.

Dr. Samuele Ciceri
Prof. Dr. Patrizia Ferraboschi
Guest Editors

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• Biocatalysis
• Hydrolases
• Lipases
• Proteases
• Esterases
• Amidases
• Organic synthesis
• Fine chemicals
• Biologically active compounds
• Pharmacologically active compounds
• Agrochemicals