Enzymes possessing great potential but still having to show their reliability are
mentioned more briefly. The literature covered extends to spring 2017 and special
credit is given to selected “very old” papers to acknowledge the appearance of
novel concepts. The most useful references are selected from the pack, and special
emphasis is placed on reviews and books, which are mentioned during the early
paragraphs of each chapter to facilitate rapid access to a specific field if desired.
After all, I tried to avoid writing a book with the charm of a telephone directory!
The first edition of this book appeared in 1992 and was composed as a monograph. It was not only well received by researchers in the field but also served as a
basis for courses in biotransformations worldwide. In subsequent editions, emphasis
was laid on didactic aspects in order to provide the first textbook on biocatalytic
methods for organic synthesis, which served as a guide at several academic institutions for updating a dusty organic chemistry curriculum by incorporating biochemical
methods. The need to account for the continuous emergence of novel enzymes and
new protocols to use them prompted this updated and extended edition.
My growing experience in teaching biotransformations for organic synthesis at
several universities and research institutions around the world has enabled me to
modify the text of this seventh edition so as to facilitate a deeper understanding of
the principles, not to mention the correction of errors, which escaped my attention
during previous editions. I am grateful to numerous unnamed students for pointing
them out and for raising tough questions.
I wish to express my deep gratitude to Stanley M. Roberts (UK) for undergoing the
laborious task of correcting the first edition of this book. Special thanks go to Michael
Müller, Martina Pohl, Wolf-Dieter (Woody) Fessner, (Germany), Nick Turner (UK),
and Bernd Nidetzky (Graz) for their helpful hints and discussions. This revised edition
would not have been possible without the great assistance of Wolfgang Kroutil for
pointing out erroneous absolute configurations, J€ org Schrittwieser for discussing
didactics, Georg Steinkellner for great enzyme pictures, and Melanie Hall for patiently
answering my ignorant questions regarding molecular biology.
I shall certainly be pleased to receive comments, suggestions, and criticism from
readers for incorporation in future editions.
Graz, Austria
Kurt Faber
Spring 2017
References
1. For the history of biotransformations, see:
Neidleman SG (1990) The archeology of enzymology. In: Abramowicz D
(ed) Biocatalysis, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp 1–24
Roberts SM, Turner NJ, Willetts AJ, Turner MK (1995) Introduction to Biocatalysis Using Enzymes and Micro-organisms, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–33
vi
Preface
mentioned more briefly. The literature covered extends to spring 2017 and special
credit is given to selected “very old” papers to acknowledge the appearance of
novel concepts. The most useful references are selected from the pack, and special
emphasis is placed on reviews and books, which are mentioned during the early
paragraphs of each chapter to facilitate rapid access to a specific field if desired.
After all, I tried to avoid writing a book with the charm of a telephone directory!
The first edition of this book appeared in 1992 and was composed as a monograph. It was not only well received by researchers in the field but also served as a
basis for courses in biotransformations worldwide. In subsequent editions, emphasis
was laid on didactic aspects in order to provide the first textbook on biocatalytic
methods for organic synthesis, which served as a guide at several academic institutions for updating a dusty organic chemistry curriculum by incorporating biochemical
methods. The need to account for the continuous emergence of novel enzymes and
new protocols to use them prompted this updated and extended edition.
My growing experience in teaching biotransformations for organic synthesis at
several universities and research institutions around the world has enabled me to
modify the text of this seventh edition so as to facilitate a deeper understanding of
the principles, not to mention the correction of errors, which escaped my attention
during previous editions. I am grateful to numerous unnamed students for pointing
them out and for raising tough questions.
I wish to express my deep gratitude to Stanley M. Roberts (UK) for undergoing the
laborious task of correcting the first edition of this book. Special thanks go to Michael
Müller, Martina Pohl, Wolf-Dieter (Woody) Fessner, (Germany), Nick Turner (UK),
and Bernd Nidetzky (Graz) for their helpful hints and discussions. This revised edition
would not have been possible without the great assistance of Wolfgang Kroutil for
pointing out erroneous absolute configurations, J€ org Schrittwieser for discussing
didactics, Georg Steinkellner for great enzyme pictures, and Melanie Hall for patiently
answering my ignorant questions regarding molecular biology.
I shall certainly be pleased to receive comments, suggestions, and criticism from
readers for incorporation in future editions.
Graz, Austria
Kurt Faber
Spring 2017
References
1. For the history of biotransformations, see:
Neidleman SG (1990) The archeology of enzymology. In: Abramowicz D
(ed) Biocatalysis, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp 1–24
Roberts SM, Turner NJ, Willetts AJ, Turner MK (1995) Introduction to Biocatalysis Using Enzymes and Micro-organisms, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–33
vi
Preface