New catalyst selectively generates amino acid precursors from cyanide at room temperature
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - 07:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Cyanide exposure can be lethal, but with careful handling, the molecule can be a very useful chemical building block. For example, from cyanide chemists can make life-essential amino acids that are in great demand as food additives and components in pharmaceutical production. The key step in this process is called the asymmetric Strecker reaction. Until now, this reaction has needed complex and costly catalysts, restricting its use to small-scale laboratory research. A new Strecker catalyst more amenable to scale-up is now available, thanks to Abdul Seayad, Balamurugan Ramalingam and their co-workers at the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences in Singapore. The catalyst also offers a safer way to handle the cyanide.