A novel P450-based biocatalyst for the selective production of chiral 2-alkanols.

A P450 monooxygenase from Nocardia farcinica (CYP154A8) catalyses the stereo- and regioselective hydroxylation of n-alkanes, still a challenging task in chemical catalysis. In a biphasic reaction system, the regioselectivity for the C2-position of C-7-C-9 alkanes was over 90%. The enzyme showed strict S-selectivity for all tested substrates, with enantiomeric excess (ee) of up to 91%.