# Combination of a UPO‐Based Epoxidation With a Subsequent Ring‐Opening Reaction for the Synthesis of Amino Alcohols

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a two-step method using enzymes and chemical reactions to efficiently produce aromatic amino alcohols, which are important in pharmaceuticals.

## Contribution

The study presents a novel chemo-enzymatic synthesis route for amino alcohols with high atom efficiency and practical scalability.

## Key findings

- A two-step synthesis route using epoxidation and ring-opening reactions was successfully demonstrated.
- The method enables the production of amino alcohols with good yields and high atom efficiency.
- The approach is scalable and suitable for pharmaceutical applications.

## Abstract

This study presents the design to aim for an atom‐efficient chemo‐enzymatic synthesis route towards aromatic amino alcohols, based on an unspecific peroxygenase‐catalysed oxyfunktionalisation of styrene and a highly atom‐efficient conversion of the resulting epoxide with nucleophiles and electrophiles, respectively. This synthesis strategy features a simple two‐step approach, and the practicality has been demonstrated at a semi‐preparative scale. In a first step, the unspecific peroxygenase oxyfunctionalises the substrate, forming an epoxide. Due to its properties, the latter can serve as a starting material for the conversion into a wide range of products, thereby enabling the production of amino alcohols that are otherwise often difficult to synthesise. The shown concept features a one‐pot two‐step approach, depending on the respective ring‐opening reagent. This method aims for a direct synthesis route for the pharmaceutical industry with good yields and high atom efficiency.

The synthesis of aromatic amino alcohols via a combination of an unspecific peroxygenase‐catalysed reaction, oxyfunctionalization, and addition of selected nucleophiles and electrophiles in a highly atom‐efficient manner was investigated.© 2026 WILEY‐VCH GmbH