Acyl Donors and Additives for the Biocatalytic Friedel-Crafts Acylation

摘要

The Friedel-Crafts acylation is a broadly applied reaction that can be conducted using various types of catalyst. However, a biocatalytic alternative has only been reported recently. In this study, the scope of acetyl donors is described, showing that, in addition to vinyl acetate derivatives, phenyl esters are also suitable donors. Furthermore, it was found that various amines enhance the reaction, whereby the effect do not seem to be correlated to the pH but to the structure of the donor. For instance, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) turned out to be a viable alternative to imidazole; however the former performed best at pH 9.85, whereas the latter performed best at pH 8.3.