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Nature SynthesisMar 2024 DOI:
10.1038/s44160-024-00507-7

Engineering non-haem iron enzymes for enantioselective C(sp3)-F bond formation via radical fluorine transfer

Zhao, Qun; Chen, Zhenhong; Soler, Jordi; Chen, Xiahe; Rui, Jinyan; Ji, Nathan Tianlin; Yu, Qinglan E.; Yang, Yunfang; Garcia-Borràs, Marc; Huang, Xiongyi
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Abstract
In recent years there has been a surge in the development of methods for the synthesis of organofluorine compounds. However, enzymatic methods for C-F bond formation have been limited to nucleophilic fluoride substitution. Here we report the incorporation of iron-catalysed radical fluorine transfer, a reaction mechanism that is not used in naturally occurring enzymes, into enzymatic catalysis for the development of biocatalytic enantioselective C(sp3)-F bond formation. Using this strategy, we repurposed (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonate epoxidase from Streptomyces viridochromogenes (SvHppE) to catalyse an N-fluoroamide-directed C(sp3)-H fluorination. Directed evolution has enabled SvHppE to be optimized, forming diverse chiral benzylic fluoride products with turnover numbers of up to 180 and with excellent enantiocontrol (up to 94% enantiomeric excess). Mechanistic investigations showed that the N-F bond activation is the rate-determining step, and the strong preference for fluorination in the presence of excess NaN3 can be attributed to the spatial proximity of the carbon-centred radical to the iron-bound fluoride.
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