Application of microorganisms and enzymes in synthetic organic chemistry.

Microbial and enzymatic transformation of synthetic substrates is attracting much attention as a useful method in synthetic organic chemistry .In this article , recent developements in this field are reviewed , dividing into three major sections which include oxidation , reduction and hydrolysis reactions .Methods for increasing the selectivity of some reactions are also described .Emphasis has been placed to the formation of optically active compounds , because enzymes are able to catalyze asymmetric reactions under mild conditions .1.