Antimicrobial Properties of Isomers of Benzofuranylethanol

Stephen F Austin State University, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Student Center Theatre and Twilight Ballroom

A biotransformaDon reacDon is a chemical conversion of a substance into a desired product with the aid of whole, living cells containing the necessary enzymes. In addiDons to living cells, other substances, such as vegetable strips, will also catalyze biotransformaDon reacDons. Advantages of biotransformaDon reacDons include the following: the ability to recycle material, the use of less hazardous chemicals, the ability to compost vegetable strips, the use of inexpensive materials that are locally available, and the ability to produce a single isomer. The biotransformaDon reacDon for the conversion of benzofuranyl methyl ketone (BMK) to (-)-benzofuranylethanol (BMA) using carrot strips as the catalyst has been characterized. The reacDon is known to produce a single isomer of the BMA. Some isomers, called enanDomers, are molecules that are mirror images of each other. The two mirror image molecules of this type are known to react in biological systems in different ways. Carrots strips have been used to produce only one of the mirror image molecules, and this molecule of BMA has been shown to have anDmicrobial properDes. Currently, we are exploring the use of other vegetable strips to determine if the other mirror image molecule of BMA can be synthesized. The goal is to determine if the other isomer has similar or different anDmicrobial properDes than the isomer produced by carrots. The anDmicrobial properDes of the two mirror image molecules will be compared