Microbial Oxidation of Amines: A Preliminary Investigation on the Resolution of Racemic 1-Phenylethyl Amine

The microorganisms Pichia pastoris, Pichia membranaefaciens, Candida boidinii and Aureobasidium sp. were screened for their ability to use amine as a nitrogen source. The range of amines accepted varied from organism to organism. P. pastoris used f -unsubstituted amines, while the other three strains used transformed f -substituted amines like cyclohexyl, 2-butyl and 1-phenylethyl amines. Biotransformation occurred via an oxidative pathway leading mainly to the production of the corresponding ketones. Investigation of the kinetic resolution of racemic 1-phenylethyl amine showed that the optically pure ( S ) enantiomer was obtained with Aureobasidium sp. experiments, and that with P. membranaefaciens or C. boidinii, the ( R ) enantiomer could also be produced, but with lower stereoselectivity (52%amines.