Ube Industries, Inc.

Tetsuo Omata

Tomio Kimura

Noritada Iwamoto

Mamoru Nakai

Tokio Ohshima

Tokio Oshima

Biochemical optical resolution of DL-tryptophans in which DL-tryptophan amides are interacted with the culture products, or their treated products, of a microorganism capable of producing amidase is described. L-Tryptophan amides in racemic DL-tryptophan amides are asymmetrically hydrolyzed to form optically active L-tryptophans at a high yield and almost all D-tryptophan amides remain without being subjected to hydrolysis. The resultant D-tryptophan amides are readily hydrolyzed, after separating L-tryptophans, to form optically active D-tryptophans at a high yield.

Process for preparing optically active tryptophans

Biochemical optical resolution of DL-tryptophanes in which DL-tryptophane amides are interacted with the culture products, or their treated products, of a microorganism capable of producing amidase is described. L-tryptophane amides in racemic DL-tryptophane amides are asymmetrically hydrolyzed to form optically active L-tryptophanes at a high yield and almost all D-tryptophane amides remain without being subjected to hydrolysis. The resultant D-tryptophane amides are readily hydrolyzed, after separating L-tryptophanes, to form optically active D-tryptophanes at a high yield.

Process for preparing optically active tryptophanes

Biochemical optical resolution of DL-.alpha.-methylphenyl alanines in which DL-.alpha.-methylphenyl alanine amides are interacted with the culture products, or their treated products, of a microorganism capable of producing amidase is described. L-.alpha.-methylphenyl alanines having the general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may be independently a hydrogen atom or lower alkyl groups, or R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may be alkylene groups combined together to form 5 through 8-membered rings is produced by the steps of:

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Ube, Japan

Tetsuo Omata