Chemo- and biocatalytic cascades for the production of industrially relevant molecules

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Combining biocatalysis and traditional chemical catalysts into one-pot cascade reactions allows efficient molecular transformations that could not be achieved using one catalytic regime alone. They allow rapid build-up of molecular complexity whilst reducing the time, effort, and waste associated with isolation and purification of intermediates. Problems with side-products and unstable or dangerous intermediates can also be circumvented, and reactions can often be carried out in aqueous media. In this work, cascade reactions will be developed which allow access to industrially relevant motifs. The first project uses nitrilase enzymes combined with photocatalytic decarboxylative functionalisations to produce fluorinated and trifluoromethylated compounds, starting from nitriles. The remainder of the work focuses on the formation of amide bonds using enzymatic cascades which include amide bond synthetases, ATP-grasp ligases, and nitrilases.