Microbial hydrocarbon co-oxidation. I. Oxidation of mono- and dicyclic hydrocarbons by soil isolates of the genus Nocardia.

Nocardia cultures, isolated from soil by use of n-paraffins as the sole carbon source, have been shown to bring about significant oxidation of several methyl-substituted mono- and dicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Oxygen uptake by washed cell suspensions was not a reliable indicator of oxidation. Under co-oxidation conditions in shaken flasks, o- and p-xylenes were oxidized to their respective mono-aromatic acids, o-toluic and p-toluic acids. In addition, a new fermentation product, 2, 3-dihydroxy-p-toluic acid, was found in the p-xylene oxidation system. Of 10 methyl-substituted naphthalenes tested (1-methyl, 2-methyl, 1, 3-dimethyl, 1, 4-dimethyl, 1, 5-dimethyl, 1, 8-dimethyl, 1, 6-dimethyl, 2, 3-dimethyl, 2, 6-dimethyl, 2, 7-dimethyl), only those containing a methyl group in the beta position were oxidized at this position to the mono acid.