Enantioselective Glucosylation of (R,S)-1-Phenylethanol by the Cultured Suspension Cells of Higher Plants

(R,S)-1-Phenylethanol and its acetate were transformed into their β-D-glucopyranoside by the cultured suspension cells of Nicotiana tabacum and Catharanthus roseus. The glucosylation with the green N. tabacum cells occurred enantioselectively to give the glucoside of the (S)-alcohol, while the biotransformation with the white N. tabacum cells and C. roseus cells gave preferentially the glucoside of the (R)-alcohol.