Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in the Kinetic Resolution of Adrenaline‐Type Aminoethanols by Burkholderia cepacia Lipase under Normal and Microwave Conditions

The lipase PS‐C II (lipase from Burkholderia cepacia immobilized on ceramic particles)‐catalyzed acylations of N ‐acylated 2‐amino‐1‐phenylethanol ( rac‐ 1 ) and N ‐acylated norphenylephrine ( rac‐ 2 ) have been studied in imidazolium‐ and pyridinium‐based ionic liquids, in tert ‐butyl methyl ether (TBME) and in their mixtures. Enzymatic chemo‐ and enantioselectivities in the presence of hydrophobic EMIM⋅NTf 2 and hydrophilic EMIM⋅BF 4 have been studied in more detail using high substrate concentrations. The preparative‐scale kinetic resolution of rac‐ 1 and rac‐ 2 (both 0.45 M) with vinyl butanoate in the mixture of EMIM⋅NTf 2 with TBME (2 : 1) took 9 and 27 hours, respectively. Microwave‐assisted acylation of rac‐ 1 and rac‐ 2 in the presence of EMIM⋅NTf 2 proceeded similarly to the reactions under normal conditions.