Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s Yeast) catalyzed efficient and facile chemo-selective synthesis of aldimines

Abstract

An efficient and reliable method has been developed for chemo-selective synthesis of Schiff bases (SB) (3a–n) by using Baker’s yeast (BY) as biocatalyst. The reaction is highly chemo-selective as only benzaldehydes take part in the reaction, whereas acetophenones fail to take part in this reaction. Furthermore, it was observed that amino acids (glycine, phenylalanine & tryptophan) and aliphatic amines (isopropyl amine and 1-amino butane) did not take part in the reaction. The present method is very efficient as it involves simple work up and gives the products in good to excellent yield. The reaction is totally carried out under eco- friendly and environmentally begin conditions by using ethanol (EtOH) as a green solvent. Thus it is anticipated that the present newly developed method will open a gateway for the chemist to prepare the selective SB (Aldimines) in the presence of ketones in facile and eco-friendly conditions.

Keywords

• Baker’s Yeast
• Chemo-selective reaction
• Schiff bases
• Aldimines