| abstract |
PURPOSE: To industrially and advantageously obtain an optically active cis- cyclopropanecarboxylic acid useful as a low-toxic and rapid-acting insecticide, etc., by reacting an ester of a specific compound with an esterase of a microorganism of the genus Rhodotorula, etc. n CONSTITUTION: A culture, etc., of a microorganism, e.g. the genus Rhodotorula or Flammulina, capable of preferentially and asymmetrically hydrolyzing (A) a (+)-cis-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid ester expressed by formula I (X is Cl, Br or methyl; R' is 1W4C alkyl; no steric relation is shown) or esterase produced by the microorganism, etc., is added the component (A) or a mixture thereof with (B) a (+)-trans-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid ester to carry out asymmetric hydrolysis reaction at 3W11 pH and 10W65°C. The reaction product is then resolved into (C) an optically active cis-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid expressed by formula II (X is Cl, Br or methyl; R is H or metallic ion; no steric relation is shown) and antipode thereof or disastereomer ester and the component (C) is then separated and recovered. n COPYRIGHT: (C)1987,JPO&Japio |