Visible-Light-Assisted Enzyme-Catalyzed Cascade Decarboxylative Coupling Reaction of Benzoylformic Acids and Cinnamic Acids to Synthesize Chalcones

A visible light-assisted enzyme-catalyzed biological cascade reaction for the synthesis of chalcones is established by continuous decarboxylative coupling reaction of aroylcarboxylic acids with cinnamic acids in water at 30 °C, and 30 chalcone derivatives are synthesized using this method, of which 5 were natural products. This is the first time that a visible-light-assisted system was introduced into the biological cascade reaction, which effectively promoted the in situ regeneration of coenzyme factors, thus realizing the catalytic cycle of the complete process. Vitamin B₁₂ (VB₁₂) showed a better effect as a photocatalyst. This process extends the scope of the biological cascade and also provides a new solution for the synthesis of chalcone derivatives. Besides, the whole cell transformed biological platform has been used to replace the separation enzyme for in vitro reaction, and the preparation of the crude cell lysate also eliminates the process of intermediate protein purification, effectively saving time and cost.