Novel unusual microbial dehalogenation during enantioselective reduction of ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoro acetoacetate with baker's yeast

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)02240-1

In the course of investigating microbial syntheses for chiral pharmaceutical intermediates, ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoro acetoacetate (1) was submitted to baker's yeast reduction. With the purpose of obtaining the D-carbinol in high enantiopurity, several additives were tested for L-reductase inhibitor activity. Allyl alcohol proved to be not only a suitable additive, but also an inducer for effective defluorination of the substrate.