Progress of lipase-catalyzed ester synthesis in ionic liquid

Abstract

As one of the most potential green solvents in the 21st century, ionic liquid has been used as reaction media in the enzymatic synthesis with enormous advantages. Compared with conventional organic media, ionic liquid could improve the stability and selectivity of lipase, reduce side reactions, eliminate toxicant organic gas, simplify the post-processing, and be renewable. Combined with the recent decade's references, this review is focused on summarizing various ionic liquids as the media, process factors, strengthening effect of field and bioreactors in the lipase-catalyzed ester synthesis process. Moreover, some future perspectives on enzymatic synthesis in ionic liquid are discussed. © 2012 Chinese Chemical Society & SIOC, CAS.