Deracemization of racemic alcohols combining photooxidation and biocatalytic reduction.

We described a cascade reaction for deracemization of racemic alcohols combining photooxidation and enzymatic reduction under mild conditions without the isolation of intermediate ketones. Using different ketoreductases, a variety of racemic alcohols can be successfully converted into ( R )- or ( S )-enantiomers in high yields (up to 95%) and stereoselectivity (up to 99%).