(S)-1-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)ethanol and (S)-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanol were synthesized with enantiomeric excesses of 96.6% and 95.2%, respectively, from the corresponding 4-alkylphenols by eugenol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas fluorescens E118. The enantioselectivity of the enzyme was shown to be pH-dependent. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.