Polymer enzyme conjugates as chiral ligands for sharpless dihydroxylation of alkenes in organic solvents.

Conjugates of enzymes and poly(2-methyloxazoline) were used as organosoluble amphiphilic polymer nanocontainers for dissolving osmate, thereby converting the enzymes into organosoluble artificial metalloenzymes. These were shown to catalyze the dihydroxylation of different alkenes with high enantioselectivity. The highest selectivities, found for osmate complexed with laccase polymer-enzyme conjugates (PECs), even exceed those of classical Sharpless catalysts.