2001 TSE: NSF/EPA Novel Self-Assembling Interfacial Biocatalysis in Organic-Aqueous Biphasic Systems for Environmentally Benign Chemical Processing

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The objective of this project is to functionalize water-soluble enzymes to provide hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts, which are expected to self-assemble and catalyze reactions at organic-aqueous interfaces. Current methodologies with enzymes placed in either aqueous or organic solutions suffer significant solubility and mass transfer limitations for reacting systems. The proposed interfacial configuration provides reagents in the biphasic systems the maximum access to the biocatalyst so that solubility and mass transfer limitations can be reduced. The polymeric modifying groups will alter the microenvironmental interactions around the enzyme moieties and reduce the interfacial tension, and thus affect the interfacial assembly and activation of enzymes. Fundamentals related to the interfacial assembly and reaction kinetics, particularly the effect of interfacial tension, will be explored both experimentally and theoretically. The feasibility of this interfacial biocatalysis will be examined and demonstrated for the enzymatic production of epoxides and glycosides. These enzymatic syntheses may lead to more environmentally-friendly routes for large-scale production of valuable chemicals.