Enzymatic condensation reactions in ionic liquids

in an aqueous environment glycosidases and peptide amidases usually hydrolyse glycosidic bonds or anodes, respectively. The reaction can be reversed by incubating the enzyme at lower water activity in the presence of ionic liquids, resulting in a higher yield of disaccharide or peptide amide. Galactosidase from Bacillus circulans can be applied in nearly anhydrous ionic liquids for reverse hydrolysis with yields of lactose of up to 17%. Peptide amidase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is used for the direct C-terminal peptide amidation of H-Ala-Phe-OH.