Microbial transformation of the herbicide metolachlor by a soil actinomycete

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 584 - 589
• Main Authors: Krause, Adam, Hancock, W. Gregory, Minard, Robert D, Freyer, Alan J, Honeycutt, Richard C, LeBaron, Homer M, Paulson, Donald L, Liu, Shuyen, Bollag, Jean Marc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.07.1985
• Subjects: Actinomycetes; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; biodegradation; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; herbicides; metolachlor; Microbial ecology; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Soil; Soil science; soils; Actinomycetales; Biodegradation; Soil; Bacteria; Microflora; Actinomycetes; Herbicide
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf00064a008

Transformation of metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)-a cetamide) was studied with an actinomycete strain isolated from metolachlor-contaminated soil. Eight metabolites were obtained and identified by mass and NMR spectral analysis. Benzylic hydroxylation of the aralkyl side chains and/or demethylation at the N-alkyl substituent appeared to be the only transformations involved. All metabolites had a monochlorine isotopic pattern, indicating that no dehalogenation of the chloroacetyl moiety occurred.