Alcohol Dehydrogenase Catalysed Oxidoreduction Reactions in Organic Chemistry

A review is given of the alcohol dehydrogenases most used in organic chemistry. Especially the use of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH) is illustrated. The most important variables in HLADH-catalysed reductions with ethanol as a coupled NADH-regenerating substrate are discussed. The first promising results of HLADH-catalysed oxidations with acetaldehyde as a coupled NAD+ -recycling substrate are presented. In contrast to what is predicted in the literature the latter method shows to be a feasible one. It can be used for the oxidation of structurally different alcohols, including some cyclopentanols.