Bacterial dioxygenase-catalysed dihydroxylation and chemical resolution routes to enantiopure cis-dihydrodiols of chrysene

Biotransformation of the environmental pollutant chrysene 1 by resting cells of a mutant strain (B8/36) of the soil bacterium Sphingomonas yanoikuyae produces (+)-cis-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrochrysene 4 which has been assigned (3S,4R) absolute configuration by stereochemical correlation with (-)(3S,4R)cis-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochrysene 6. Both cis-3,4-diol 6 and cis-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochrysene 12 are obtained in enantiopure form after chromatographic separation of the individual bis(2-methoxy-2-phenyl-2-trifluoromethylacetyl)(bis-MTPA) diastereoisomers of compound 6 and the MTPA diastereoisomers of bromohydrin 19, respectively, followed by hydrolysis. A new general synthetic route to cis-dihydrodiols, from the corresponding cis-tetrahydrodiol cyclic carbonates, is used to obtain both racemic and enantiopure forms of the bay-region diol 4, and the non-bay region diol 5. H-1 NMR and CD spectra of the cis- and trans-dihydrodiols of chrysene are described.