The baker's yeast reduction of seven different prochiral nitroketones 1a-g occurred on the re face of the carbonyl group, thus affording the (S)-nitroalcohols 2a-g, with different level of enantioselectivity (ee 15–99%). The best results (ee= 99%) were achieved when the substituent R is markedly different from the nitroalkyl group [eg 1a (R= Me) and 1e (R= o- MeO-C6H4)]. The ee and the configuration of the bioproducts were assigned by NMR ...
