“…Thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes catalyze C–C bond ligation and cleavage reactions, including pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD), benzaldehyde lyase (BAL), transketolase (TK), and so on. − In the previous studies, the α-hydroxymethyl ketones have been prepared by direct hydroxymethylation of aldehydes with formaldehyde using BAL and other enzymes through C–C bond formation. ,,,,− However, it has been observed that the homocoupling of aldehyde is competing with the hydroxymethylation to give the acyloin byproduct in the BAL-catalyzed reactions. Cosolvents such as 2-methyltetrahydrofuran and large excess of formaldehyde have been used to reduce the homocoupling product, but the reaction still must be carried out at low substrate concentration. , Zhang et al reported that 1-(furan-2-yl)-2-hydroxyethan-1-one could be obtained from furfural (50 g/L) and formaldehyde through increasing the solubility of PDC from Sulfobacillus sp.…”