Acetone → 2-Hydroxyisobutyric acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

A suspension of 0.343 g (wet cell paste) Comamonas testosteroni 22-1 cells (ATCC PTA-1853) in 5.61 mL of 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) was placed into a 15-mL polypropylene centrifuge tube, then 51.0 mg of acetone cyanohydrin (0.10 M final concentration of acetone cyanohydrin in the suspension) was added and the resulting suspension mixed on a rotating platform at 25° C. Samples for analysis (0.180 mL) were mixed with 0.020 mL of 1.0 M propionic acid (HPLC external standard), centrifuged, and the supernatant analyzed by HPLC for acetone cyanohydrin, acetone, and 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid. After 21 h, the yields of 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 2-hydroxyisobutyramide, and acetone were 40.4%, 0%, and 34.5%, respectively, with 18.4% acetone cyanohydrin remaining.

Provenance & Evidence