Bioreduction of a carbon–nitrogen double bond using immobilized baker's yeast’a first report

Immobilized baker's yeast entrapped in calcium alginate beads efficiently reduces N-benzylidinemethylamine to N-methylbenzylamine in hexane at 37°C and tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 30°C in the presence of 18-crown-6, while in the presence of water as cosolvent and glucose as an additive N-benzylidinemethylamine undergoes decomposition. Benzaldoxime in a hexane–water (1:9) solvent system containing glucose as an additive is reduced to N-benzylhydroxylamine. On using an ethanol–water (1:1) solvent system, benzaldoxime is converted to benzyl alcohol and in hexane, benzene, THF, hexane–water (1:1) or acetonitrile–water (1:1) solvent systems, or using dried baker's yeast in different solvent systems, transformation of benzaldoxime does not occur.