Enantioselective microbial reduction of 1,1-dimethyl-1-sila-cyclohexan-2-one with growing cells of the yeast Kloeckera corticis (ATCC 20109)

(R)-1,1-Dimethyl-1-sila-cyclohexan-2-ol [(R)-2] was prepared by enantioselective microbial reduction of 1,1-dimethyl-1-sila-cyclohexan-2-one (1) with growing cells of the yeast Kloeckera corticis (ATCC 20109). At a substrate concentration of 0.5 g/1 (temperature 27° C, incubation time 16 h), (R}-2 was obtained on a preparative scale in 60% yield and with an enantiomeric purity of 92% ee. Repeated recrystallization of the biotransformation product from n-hexane raised the enantiomeric purity to 99% ee