Volatile Sulfur Compounds Produced by Methionine Degrading Bacteria and the Relationship to Concrete Corrosion

Biogenic Sulfur Compounds, Gas Chromatography, Concrete Corrosion Pseudomonasßuorescens, Proteus vulgaris, and Serratia marcescens, members o f the microflora of soil and waste water, attacked methionine in the presence o f glucose. The sulfur o f m ethionine was released as methane thiol, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide. The volatile sulfur com ­ pounds were qualitatively and quantitatively investigated by gas chromatography. Dimethyl disulfide was formed of methane thiol by various bacteria to a different extent. Growing in the presence of oxygen, S. marcescens oxidized most o f the methane thiol to dimethyl disulfide. In the presence of glucose. P. fluorescens dissimilated methionine with production o f methane thiol and dimethyl disulfide. The dissimilation was stimulated with decreasing glucose concentration.