A partially purified preparation of an alpha-amino acid ester hydrolase was obtained from Acetobacter turbidans A.T.C.C. 9325, which catalyses synthesis of 7-(d-alpha-amino-alpha-phenylacetamido)-3-cephem-3-methyl-4- carboxylic acid (cephalexin) from methyl d-alpha-aminophenylacetate and 7-amino-3-deacetoxycephalosporanic acid. The enzyme preparation catalysed both cephalosprin synthesis from 7...

Great effort has been devoted to the development of new strategies for glycosidic coupling owing to the growing importance of synthetic oligosaccharides in glycobiology.1 In the past decades, methods for construction of glycosidic linkages have progressed considerably.2 However, compared to the synthesis of oligopeptides and oligonucleotides, the synthesis of oligosaccharides is still laborious...

The synthesis of a library of structurally variable aromatic esters of (benzyloxycarbonylamino)(aryl)methylphosphonic acids is described by means of the Oleksyszyn reaction. The library was enlarged by the application of a Suzuki-Miayra approach and by preparation of mixed esters.

A convenient method for the preparation of alkynes and alkynyl esters from ketones and β-keto esters is described which involves the formation of vinyl triflates, followed by elimination with tetrabutylammonium fluoride trihydrate, to give alkynes. Unlike established elimination methods, the method requires neither a strong base nor anhydrous conditions.