Chemoenzymatic Cascades Enabled by Combining Catalytically Active Emulsions and Biocatalysts

The compartmentalization of chemo- and enzymatic reactions is an elegant strategy for one-pot synthesis while avoiding reaction incompatibility issues. However, chemoenzymatic compartments developed to date are limited to complicated preparation. Herein, a simple, catalytically active polymer that stabilizes diverse types of emulsions for the encapsulation of active enzymes is presented. This design combines two distinct catalysts for cascade reaction while creating separate micro-environments with a large interfacial area for high reactivity. Moreover, the system is developed for solvent-free reactions, benefiting the “green” synthesis.