Aerobic Reactions Carried Out by Bacteria

The aerobic degradation of naphthalene and its derivatives has been extensively examined, so that the pathway, biochemistry, and genetics are well established. 

FIGURE 8.8 Degradation of naphthalene. (From Neilson, A.H. and Allard, A.-S. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Springer, 1998. With permission.) 

Less attention has been devoted to the degradation of naphthols and naphthalene carboxylates  

The degradation of naphth-l-ol has been described (Bollag et al. 1975), and the specific- 

Althongh the degradation of naphthalene-2-carboxylate by Burkholderia sp. strain JT 1500 involves the formation of 1-hydroxy naphthalene-2-carboxylate, this is not formed from the expected (l/ ,25)-di-l,2-dihydrodiol-2-naphthoate. Possibly, therefore, the reaction is carried out by a monooxygenase, or a dehydration step is involved. Subsequent reactions produced pyruvate and o-phthalate that was degraded via 4,5-dihydroxyphthalate (Morawski et al. 1997). Degradation of naphthalene carboxylates formed by oxidation of methyl groups has already been noted. 

---