Abstract
THE sulphonic group has been found as a component of aliphatic compounds in plants and algae1–5. The metabolic fate of sulphonic compounds in micro-organisms has been so far the only available means of studying their transformation in nature6,7. As well as the importance of this information for a general understanding of the biochemical pathways of living organisms, there is also the question of the increasing use of sulphonic detergents and their release in sewages and soils. Their biodegradation depends on the ability of micro-organisms of soil and water to oxidize them. Previous work has shown that soil and water poor in vegetable residues, such as that near big cities like Rio de Janeiro, contain very few bacterial strains able to carry out this degradation. Only a few such bacteria were found in soil samples, and no bacteria able to oxidize sulphonic compounds were found in water samples7.
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MARTELLI, H. Oxidation of Sulphonic Compounds by Aquatic Bacteria isolated from Rivers of the Amazon Region. Nature 216, 1238–1239 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2161238a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2161238a0
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