Biotransformations of benzoylacetonitrile with the fungus Curvularia lunata: highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of α-alkyl β-hydroxy nitriles and γ-amino alcohols

Incubation of alcoholic solutions of benzoylacetonitrile, 1, with a suitable aqueous culture of C. lunata results in highly diastereo- and enantioselective reactions leading to α-alkyl β-hydroxy nitriles 3, which are easily reduced to the corresponding γ-amino alcohols 6.