Microbial reduction of cyclohexanones

A Brazilian strain of the bacteria Serratia rubidaea CCT 5742 quantitativel y reduced 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone and 4-methylcyclohexanone to the less t hermodynamically stable diastereoisomeric alcohols cis-4-tert-butylcyclohex anol and cis-4-methylcyclohexanol with a diastereoisomeric excesses (de) of 96% and 44%, respectively. 2-Methylcyclohexanone was also totally reduced to the corresponding alcohols affording the trans-(+)-(1S, 2S)-2-methylcycl ohexanol with 78% of de and an enantiomeric excess (ee) of 80%. The cis-(+) -(1S, 2R)-2-methylcyclohexanol was obtained in 98% ee. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.