Purification of oxidatively labile organic compouds by selectively removing cyanide using a cyanide reacting enzyme

摘要

Cyanide is removed from an aqueous solution of a triacylmethane, especially one having substituents providing herbicidal activity, by treatment with a cyanide reacting enzyme such as cyanide hydratase or cyanide oxygenase or cyanidase. The aqueous solution is for example the product of reacting a benzoyl chloride with a 1,3 cyclohexadione in toluene in the presence of a cyanide catalyst, then extracting the resulting triacylmethane into aqueous alkali.