The transient existence of π-allyl-palladium intermediates formed by the reaction of Pd(OAc)(2) and anisole-derived meta photocycloadducts has been demonstrated using NMR techniques. The intermediates tended to be short-lived and underwent rapid reductive elimination of palladium metal to form allylic acetates, however this degradation process could be delayed by changing the reaction solvent f...

Fermentative degradation of hydroquinone, catechol, and phenol was demonstrated with nearly-homogeneous mixed methanogenic cultures obtained from freshwater sediments and sewage sludge by enrichment with the respective phenolic substrates. Gram-negative short rods predominated in these cultures, together with hydrogenand acetate-utilizirtg methanogens. Acetate and methane were the only degradat...

Mononuclear aromatic compounds are degraded anaerobically through pathways that are basically different from those used in the presence of oxygen. Whereas aerobic degradation destabilizes the aromatic π-electron system by oxidative steps through oxygenase reactions, anaerobic degradation is most often initiated by a reductive attack. The benzoyl-CoA pathway is the most important metabolic route...

The chemical degradation of dieldrin in ferric sulfide and iron powder aqueous suspension was investigated in laboratory batch type experiments. To identify the reaction mechanism, reduced copper was used as reductant. More than 90% of dieldrin was degraded using both reaction systems after 29 days. Initial degradation rate of the pesticide using ferric sulfide was superior to that using iron p...

Mixed anaerobic microbial subcultures enriched from a multilayered aquifer at a former chlorinated solvent disposal facility in West Louisiana were examined to determine the organism(s) involved in the dechlorination of the toxic compounds 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) to ethene. Sequences phylogenetically related to Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides, two gen...

The chemical design of metal complexes of the type [Cu(phen)(antib)](+) (where antib is a quinolone or a fluoroquinolone) has been carried out in an approach to better understand how the coordination of their components affect the activity of quinolones. The ability of [Cu(phen)(nal)](+) to interact with DNA in vivo and its capacity to promote the degradation of plasmid and chromosomal DNA, und...

The organism Acinetobacter sp. RKJ12 is capable of utilizing 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoic acid (2C4NBA) as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. In the degradation of 2C4NBA by strain RKJ12, various metabolites were isolated and identified by a combination of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and enzymatic activities, revealing a novel assimilation pathway involving both oxidative and reducti...

Research works in the recent past have revealed three major biodegradation processes leading to the degradation of trichloroethylene. Reductive dechlorination is an anaerobic process in which chlorinated ethenes are used as electron acceptors. On the other hand, cometabolism requires oxygen for enzymatic degradation of chlorinated ethenes, which however yields no benefit for the bacteria involv...

Although much has been discovered, discussed and written as to problems of contamination by various military unique compounds, particularly by the nitrogen based energetics (NOCs), remaining problems dictate further evaluation of actual and potential risk to the environment by these energetics and their derivatives and metabolites through determination of their environmental impact—transport, f...