Biocatalytic α‐Oxidation of Cyclic Amines and N‐Methylanilines for the Synthesis of Lactams and Formamides

Abstract An environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of lactams and formamides through the biocatalytic α‐oxidation of amines was developed by employing Pseudomonas plecoglossicida ZMU‐T04 as a biocatalyst. In this biocatalytic process, the α‐oxidation of cyclic amines and N ‐methylanilines proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding amides in low to high yields. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that synthetic 3,4‐dihydroquinolin‐2(1 H )‐one could be used as a key precursor of antidepressant bioactive molecules. The mechanism of this biocatalytic α‐oxidation process was investigated by isotope‐ labeling experiments.