PRODUCTION OF POLY(3-HYDROXYALKANOATES) CONTAINING AROMATIC SUBSTITUENTS BY PSEUDOMONAS-OLEOVORANS

Pseudomonas oleovorans was grown separately on 5-(4'-tolyl)valeric aci d, 5-(4'-ethylphenyl)valeric acid, 5-(4'-biphenyl)valeric acid, and 8- (4'-tolyl)octanoic acid either as the sole carbon source or as a coefe ed with either nonanoic acid or 5-phenylvaleric acid. For polymer prod uction, 5-(4'-tolyl)valeric acid was the most effective growth substra te of the five. It resulted in the production of poly-3-hydroxy-5-(4'- tolyl)valerate, a crystalline polymer with a glass transition temperat ure of 18 degrees C and a melting transition of 95 degrees C. This pol y(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) is apparently the first example of a cryst alline aromatic-containing bacterial PHA. When P. oleovorans was cofed an equimolar mixture of 5-phenylvaleric acid and 5-(4'-tolyl)valeric acid, the polymer produced contained 36 mol % of 3-hydroxy-5-phenylval erate and 64 mol % of 3-hydroxy-5-(4'-tolyl)valerate, and it did not c rystallize.