Ciba Specialty Chemicals Water Treatments Limited

Basf Se Corporation

Jatinder Singh Kullar

Yvonne Christine Armitage

Jonathan Robert Hughes

Stuart Greenhalgh

Dinesh 7 Necropolis Road Mistry

A method of producing an amide from the corresponding nitrile comprising the following steps,

Manufacture of amides

A microorganism which isstrain NCIMB 41164 or a mutant thereof. A method of culturing the microorganism in a culture medium comprising urea or urea derivative is claimed. A nitrile hydratase obtainable from the microorganism is claimed. Also claimed is a process of preparing an amide from the corresponding nitrile wherein the nitrile is subjected to a hydration reaction in an aqueous medium in the presence of a biocatalyst selected from the group consisting of a microorganism which is astrain NCIMB 41164, a mutant thereof and a nitrile hydratase obtainable fromstrain NCIMB 41164 or a mutant thereof. Also claimed is a method of storing theNCIMB 41164.

Microorganism

A method of producing an amide from the corresponding nitrile comprising the following steps, i) providing a microorganism capable of producing a nitrile hydratase biocatalyst, ii) culturing the microorganism in a growth medium, iii) storing the microorganism, iv) contacting the nitrile by the microorganism in an aqueous medium and thereby converting the nitrile to the amide, wherein the microorganism is stored as none actively growing free cells in a storage medium that comprises water. The stored microorganism may be as whole microbial cells, this may be in the form of a cell paste recovered from a fermentation medium; an aqueous suspension of the microbial cells, prepared using a suitable suspending medium such as water, physiological saline solution, or a suitable buffer solution, such as phosphate or comprises the fermentation broth that contains components of the fermentation culture medium and products of microbial culture. The microorganism exhibits no significant loss of activity, for example if stored even for at least 2 days, especially 3 to 28 days.

A microorganism which isstrain NCIMB 41164 or a mutant thereof. A method of culturing the microorganism in a culture medium comprising urea or urea derivative is claimed. A nitrite hydratase obtainable from the microorganism is claimed. Also claimed is a process of preparing an amide from the corresponding nitrite wherein the nitrite is subjected to a hydration reaction in an aqueous medium in the presence of a biocatalyst selected from the group consisting of a microorganism which is astrain NUMB 41164, a mutant thereof and a nitrite hydratase obtainable fromstrain NCIMB 41164 or a mutant thereof. Also claimed is a method of storing theNUMB 41164.

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Bradford, United Kingdom

Jatinder Singh Kullar