Method of preparing (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol or derivatives thereof from their respective ketones

A method for preparing a (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol compound of formula (2), comprising contacting a compound of formula (1) ##STR3## wherein a R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group;

• R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1-4 -alkyl group;
• and R.sup.3 is a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1-4 acyl group, with one member selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) a culture of a microorganism capable of asymmetrically reducing said compound of formula (1),
• (b) cells isolated from a culture of a microorganism capable of asymmetrically reducing said compound of formula (1), and
• (c) a cell product obtained from a microorganism capable of asymmetrically reducing said compound of formula (1);
• for a time sufficient to produce said (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol compound of formula (2) ##STR4## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are defined as above;
• and recovering said compound of formula (2);
• wherein said microorganism is selected from the group consisting of
• Arthrobacter paraffineus,
• Aureobacterium testaceum,
• Clavibacter michiganense,
• Enterobacter cloacae,
• Flavobacterium esteraromaticum,
• Nocardia asteroides,
• Rhodococcus erythropolis,
• Serratia marcescens,
• Candida cantarellii,
• Citeromyces matritensis,
• Cryptococcus albidus,
• Hansenula mrakii,
• Kloeckera javanica,
• Aureobasidium pullulans,
• Curvularia trifolii,
• Gelasinospora longispora,
• Monascus araneosus,
• Mucor javanicus,
• Rhizopus delemar,
• Sclerotium bataticola,
• Septoria cucurbitacearum and
• Westerdykella multispora.