Resolution of enantiomers by surfactant-coated enzymes in organic solvents

The activity and the enantiotropic selectivity of native enzymes coated with surfactants are remarkably increased and the stability is also greatly improved. Present researches mainly focus on esterification and trans-esterification reactions mostly catalyzed by lipases. The substrate molecular structure has a great effect on the enantiotropic selectivity of coated enzymes. It was pointed out that membrane reactors might be used to retain surfactant-coated enzymes for reuse and also to separate products. The yield and the activity of surfactant-coated enzymes could be further increased by improving the structure of surfactants or by optimizing the preparation of surfactant-coated enzymes. Mechanisms and kinetics of the catalytic reaction of surfactant-coated enzymes also needed further investigation.