Development and Scale-up of a Biocatalytic Process To Form a Chiral Sulfoxide

A Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase enzyme has been used to manufacture a chiral sulfoxide drug intermediate on a kilogram scale. This paper describes the evolution of the biocatalytic manufacturing process from the initial enzyme screen, development of a kilo lab process, to further optimization for plant scale manufacture. Efficient gas–liquid mass transfer of oxygen is key to obtaining a high yield.