Aliphatic and Benzylic Ethers

Aliphatic and benzylic ethers are degraded by hydroxylation of the a-methylene group followed by scission of the ether bond with the formation of an aldehyde and an alkanol (White et al. 1996 Kim and Engesser 2004). In contrast, the degradation of 2-chloroethylvinyl ether by Ancylobacter 

The monooxygenase from Burkholderia cepacia G4/PR1 in which the synthesis of toluene-2-monooxygenase is constitutive is able to degrade a number of ethers including diethyl ether and n-butyl methyl ether, though not iert-butyl methyl ether (Hur et al. 1997). 

FIGURE 11.3 Degradation of methyl ferf-butyl ether. 

A less usual reaction is involved in the degradation of succinyloxyacetate by Zoogloea sp. (Peterson and Llaneza 1974), which is accomplished by a lyase that produced fumarate and glycolic acid. 

Bis-(l-chloro-2-propyl)ether has two chiral centers and exists in (R,R)-, (S,S)-, and a meso form. It is degraded by Rhodococcus sp. with a preference for the S,S) enantiomer with the intermediate formation of l-chloro-propan-2-ol and chloroacetone (Garbe etal.2006). 

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