Electrochemical-Enzymatic Synthesis of Amino Acids

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The focus of this research involves the development of a process which allows the electrochemical reduction of a redox mediator at an electrode in an aqueous medium containing an enzyme, an alpha-keto acid and an ammonia source. The reduced mediator will reduce the enzyme to its active state which will, in turn, react with the alpha-keto acid to afford the desired amino acid in optically active form. Optimization of the process could provide an economically competitive, environmentally benign method for the commercial production of amino acids. %%% With this award the Synthetic Organic Program of the Chemistry Division and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) are co-supporting the research of Dr. Albert J. Fry and Dr. Susan B. Sobolov of Wesleyan University and Dr. James M. Fenton of the University of Connecticut. The focus of the research, sponsored under the NSF/EPRI initiative on Research in Electrochemical Synthesis, is the development of an electrochemical-enzymatic process for the synthesis of alpha-amino acids.