A Novel Baker's Yeast Catalysed Hydride Reduction of an Epoxide Moiety

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(95)00043-C

The preparation of 2-<(2)H>-1-(p-nitrophenyl)-1,2-epoxyheptan-3-one and its subsequent reduction by baker's yeast to the 2,3-diol is described.The mechanism of the reduction of the epoxide was determined using the β-(2)H isotope shift in 13C n.m.r. and mass spectroscopy and appears to be due to a novel enzyme catalysed hydride transfer from cofactors such as NADH or NADPH.