Patent ID: 7507560

Claim:
A process for the enzymatic production of cyclic amide oligomers comprising the steps of: (a) contacting, i) at least one diester of the general formula R 1 OOC—[R 3 ] m —[X 1 -R 4 ] y —COOR 2 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently a C1 to C20 hydrocarbyl group selected from one of alkyl, alkylene, aryl, haloaryl, aralkyl, aralkylene, arylene, alkoxyalkyl, and alkenyl, optionally substituted with one or more ether linkages; R 3 and R 4 are independently C1 to C10 hydrocarbyl group selected from one of alkyl, alkylene, aryl, haloaryl, aralkyl, aralkylene, arylene, and alkenyl; X 1 is selected from one or none of heteroatom or non-heteroatom, wherein the heteroatom comprises oxygen, and wherein the non-heteroatom comprises NH; y is 0 to 5; and m=0 or 1, wherein m is 1 when X 1 is a heteroatom or non-heteroatom; and (ii) at least one diamine of the general formula H 2 N—R 5 —[X 2 —R 6 ] z —NH 2 wherein R 5 and R 6 are C1 to C6 hydrocarbyl group selected from the group consisting of alkyl, akylene, aryl, haloaryl, aralkyl, aralkylene, alkarylene, arylene, and alkenyl; X 2 is selected from one or none of heteroatom or non-heteroatom, wherein the heteroatom comprises oxygen or sulfur, and wherein the non-heteroatom comprises amine, carbonyl, or C1 to C6 hydrocarbyl group selected from one of alkyl, alkylene, aryl, haloalkyl, aralkyl, aralkylene, arylene or alkenyl; z is from 0 to 20; and wherein R 5 and R 6 may be the same or different; under a set of suitable reaction conditions, in a medium comprised of at least one aprotic organic solvent, and in the presence of a lipase having a cyclic amide oligomer synthesizing activity and present in an amount of at least about 0.01% by weight based on the total weight of the diester and diamine whereby a cyclic amide oligomer is produced; (b) recovering an amount of cyclic amide oligomer from the reaction of step (a).