ENZYME CATALYSIS IN ORGANIC-SOLVENTS

In the past decade, in has been established that enzymes exhibit high catalytic activity as a solid state in organic solvents containing little or no water, Because organic solvents are better reaction media than water for most synthetic transformations, such has been applied to a number of organic reactions. This article is intended to provide mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon, which counters conventional wisdom, The key concept here is the high rigidity of protein's conformation under limited water content conditions:the balance of its thermodynamic stability and kinetic rigidity is essential for the enzyme's high catalytic activity and selectivities in organic media. Some applications for organic synthesis are also presented.