Microbial C-hydroxylation and β-4-O-methylglucosidation of methyl-benzamide 7-azanorbornane ethers with Beauveria bassiana

N-Substituted 7-azanorbornanes were prepared by acylation of easily accessible 7-azanorbornane hydrochloride. Derivatives possessing an electron-withdrawing docking/protecting group and bearing an aryl methylether were subjected to biotransformation with the fungus Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159. O-Demethylation and β-4-O-methylglucosidation reactions were observed for the major metabolite in this biotransformation (isolation yields: 6, 30%; 11a, 44%; 11b, 47%; 11c, 14%). C-Hydroxylation on an unfunctionalized carbon was also observed in most of the cases.