Ionic liquid supported hydrogel–lipase biocatalytic systems in asymmetric synthesis of enantiomerically pure S-ibuprofen

Novel hydrogel biocatalysts with immobilized lipase, stabilized by ionic liquids (ILs) of different hydrophobicity, were synthesized and evaluated. Variations of the time of immobilization and ratio of substrates during hydrogel synthesis were considered to obtain the most stable biocatalyst with the highest activity. Physicochemical characterization proved the success of the hydrogel synthesis and enzyme deposition on the surface of the support. Nevertheless, the key objective was to produce a biocatalyst for further application in ibuprofen methyl ester resolution, with the aim of obtaining an enantiomerically pure product. The hydrogel biocatalysts obtained in the presence of 5 wt% ILs after 8 h of immobilization achieved the highest activity recovery of 62 %. After 10 reaction cycles, enzymatic activity was still above 60 %, and the negative effect of pH and temperature on the activity of immobilized lipase was much lower than in the case of the free enzyme. After application of the catalyst in the resolution of ibuprofen methyl ester, the enantiomeric excess and conversion rate of the process were obtained for the dynamic kinetic resolution in isooctane. A conversion rate of 95 % was achieved due to the stabilization of the biocatalyst with IL and its resulting high catalytic activity. The study thus provides the pharmaceutical industry with a new potential approach with a strong scientific foundation.