Preface

This book, entitled Biocatalysis in Organic Synthesis: The Retrosynthesis Approach, was conceived by the authors out of a need to provide guidance and education in the application of biocatalysts in organic synthesis. During the past 20 years, biocatalysis has increasingly assumed greater prominence as a tool for the synthesis of target molecules, particularly in industry where the desire to develop sustainable and economic processes is now a high priority. The much greater availability of a broader range of biocatalysts has resulted in many more options for application in organic synthesis. However, with this greater number of options comes a need to think more strategically about where biocatalysis best fits in a synthetic sequence. The application of retrosynthesis in the planning of target molecule synthesis is now a well-established approach, but one that has not previously been extended to biocatalysis. In this book, we have attempted to place both ‘forward’ and ‘reverse’ biocatalytic transformations side-by-side in order to illustrate both what is possible using biocatalysis and where these reactions may be best applied in a strategic sense. It is hoped that this book will encourage a greater awareness of what is possible using biocatalysis and thereby lead to a greater uptake of this emerging technology.

Nicholas J. Turner, University of Manchester, UK

Luke Humphreys, Gilead Sciences, Canada