Bi-enzymatic Conversion of Cinnamic Acids to 2-Arylethylamines

The conversion of carboxylic acids, such as acrylic acids, to amines is a transformation that remains challenging in synthetic organic chemistry. Despite the ubiquity of similar moieties in natural metabolic pathways, biocatalytic routes seem to have been overlooked for this purpose. Herein we present the conception and optimisation of a two-enzyme system, allowing the synthesis of β-phenylethylamine derivatives from readily-available ring-substituted cinnamic acids. After characterisation of both parts of the reaction in a two-step approach, a set of conditions allowing the one-pot biotransformation was optimised. This combination of a reversible deaminating and irreversible decarboxylating enzyme, both specific for the amino acid intermediate in tandem, represents a general method by which new strategies for the conversion of carboxylic acids to amines could be designed.