Effect of solvents on bioconversion of penicillin G to deacetoxycephalosporin G.

The bioconversion of penicillin G, an inexpensive substrate, to the valuable intermediate for semisynthetic cephalosporin production, deacetoxycephalosporin G (DAOG), had been recently shown to be increased by eliminating agitation and adding decane. The present work examining other solvents shows that all alkanes tested are equivalent to decane in activity but that other solvents are either inhibitory or less active than alkanes. Optimum conditions of pH and temperature for the alkane system are not very different from the previously used aqueous system.