[figure: see text] The halohydrin dehalogenase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 catalyzed the highly enantioselective and beta-regioselective azidolysis of (substituted) styrene oxides. By means of kinetic resolutions the remaining epoxide and the formed azido alcohol could be obtained in very high ee. In a large scale conversion, the decrease in yield and selectivity due to the uncatalyzed chemical side reaction could be overcome by slow addition of azide.
Department of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, and Department of Organic and Molecular Inorganic Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
