Biocatalysis using Rajma - a green process for the synthesis of chiral carbinols

A simple biocatalytic reduction of acetophenone and its derivatives was investigated in aqueous medium using soaked Rajma. The bioreduction process exhibited anti-Prelog specificity and furnished (R)-carbinols. This non-conventional bioreduction process showed a broad substrate specificity and chiral selectivity and could therefore provide a practical utility to traditional synthetic chemists for the preparation of chiral carbinols in terms of simplicity, and in an environmentally benign way. Being an easy and handy protocol, it also represents the possibility of scaling up the process to be used in organic synthesis