Abstract: The present invention relates to microbial processes for carrying out the asymmetric reduction of a ketone to an alcohol, which comprises: contacting the ketone with a microorganism, or an enzyme reduction system capable of accomplishing the subject reduction comprising an enzyme derived from said microorganism and a co-factor for said enzyme, and incubating the resulting mixture under conditions sufficient to yield more of the desired (R)-enantiomer of the corresponding alcohol than the undesired (S)-enantiomer. The chiral (R)-enantiomer can be used in the synthesis of certain &bgr;-adrenergic receptor agonists.

Abstract: The present invention relates to processes for the microbial oxidation of bicyclic heteroaromatic compounds which comprise contacting these compounds with a microorganism, or a suitable mutant thereof, and incubating the resulting mixture under conditions sufficient to yield an amount of their respective carboxylic acids. The present processes optionally further comprise the isolation and purification of the product carboxylic acids.

Abstract: The present invention relates to processes for the microbial oxidation of 2-methylquinoxaline to 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid which comprise contacting 2-methylquinoxaline with a microorganism, or a suitable mutant thereof, and incubating the resulting mixture under conditions sufficient to yield an amount of said 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid. The present processes optionally further comprise the isolation and purification of 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process for the production of compounds of the formulae.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel compositions of matter comprising an enzyme activity capable of carrying out the following stereoselective reduction of a racemic tetralone: 1

Abstract: This invention provides a compound of formula (I): or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein X1 and X2 are C or N, respectively; R1 and R2 are independently phenyl optionally substituted with a hydroxy group with proviso that X1 and X2 are not simultaneously C or N, when X1 is N, R1 is absent, and when X2 is N, R2 is absent; R3 is methyl or hydroxymethyl; R4 is formyl, hydroxymethyl or hydroxy C3-6 alkenyl; R5 is hydroxy, C3-6 alkenyl or hydroxy C3-6 alkenyl; or R4 and R5, together with the carbon atoms in the furopyridine ring to which they are attached, may form the following ring (to be fused with the furopyridine ring): with the proviso that when R3 is methyl and R5 is 2-buten-2-yl, X2 is not N. These compounds and pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds are useful for treating infectious diseases caused by bacteria.

Abstract: Two new compounds which are attractive to male fall cankerworm moths, Alsophila pometaria, in the field, are described. They are (Z,Z,Z,E)-3,6,9,11-nonadecatetraene and (Z,Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9,11-nonadecatetraene. These compounds, separately and together, and these two compounds together with a third, [(Z,Z,Z)3,6,9-nonadecatriene], act as attractants to male fall cankerworm moths and can be used to monitor, confuse or attempt to control, populations of the moths.