Applications for nature's catalysts--enzymes--are growing rapidly, driven both by a large expansion in the number of enzymes that are available and the increasing need for optically-pure intermediates for the production of pharmaceuticals. Successful examples of commercial biocatalytic processes are being reported with greater frequency. As a result, researchers have become more willing to consider biocatalytic processes as viable alternatives to traditional chemical methods. Biocatalysis is beginning to have an impact on chemical process development in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. This trend will almost certainly continue with increasing vigor.