One-pot chemo-biocatalytic synthesis of R-1-phenylethyl acetate from acetophenone hydrogenation over Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst

The kinetics in the one-pot synthesis of R-1-phenyl ethylacetate starting from acetophenone have been systematically investigated by using different amounts of hydrogenation catalyst and an immobilized enzyme simultaneously. The kinetic results revealed that there is interference between their catalytic performance indicating that these catalysts were not acting independently but in concert. The reaction mechanism was very complex, since besides the consecutive reactions, hydrogen-acylation, also dehydration of an intermediate product, (R,S)-1-phenylethanol occurred leading to styrene and its instantaneous hydrogenation to ethyl benzene. This work presents the kinetic regularities, quantitative understanding of which remains a challenge.