The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation yields esters or lactones from ketones, and this valuable reaction for the introduction of oxygen functionalities is well established in both classic chemistry as well as biocatalysis. It can be particularly beneficial to use flavin-containing enzymes called Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs), when regio- and stereoselectivity is desired. Achieving this is all the more difficult for bulky, functionalized substrates and while considerable progress has been accomplished by protein engineering, most of the well-studied BVMOs are still limited to relatively small molecules. Another shortcoming of these enzymes is their notorious susceptibility towards heat and solvents.
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