Enantioselective reduction of ortho-substituted acetophenones by bacterial strains isolated from medium enriched with biphenyl or diesel fuel

Application of 21 new bacterial strains from natural environments (coastal plain of Santos and Atlantic Rain Forest, São Paulo, Brazil) in the asymmetric reduction of acetophenone derivatives is described. The bioreduction was carried out with whole bacterial cells leading to (S)-chiral alcohols in up to ≥99% e.e. The (S)-(−)-1-(2-bromo-phenyl)-ethanol was employed in the preparation of chiral tellurium derivatives.