A redesigned aldehyde dehydrogenase enables intermolecular biocatalytic amide formation from aldehydes and amines

Abstract

Amide formation represents a key reaction in pharmaceutical synthesis, for which more environmentally friendly methods are sought. In Science, Gao et al. report a biocatalytic oxidative strategy exploiting a redesigned aldehyde dehydrogenase that allows the coupling of aldehydes with amines at the expense of an oxidant [NAD(P)⁺, molecular oxygen].