Quantum chemical study of mechanism and stereoselectivity of secondary alcohol dehydrogenase

Density functional theory calculations are employed to investigate the origins of stereoselectivity of secondary alcohol dehydrogenase. Two substrates with opposite enantioselectivities are studied. It is argued that a balance between unfavourable steric repulsions and favourable dispersion interactions between the substrate substituents and the active site pockets ultimately dictates the enantioselectivity.150