MICROBIAL-DEGRADATION OF QUADRICYCLANE DERIVED TRICYCLO[2.2.1.0(2,6)]HEPTAN-3-OL IN SOIL

Quadricyclane (retracyclo[3.2.0(2,7).0(4,6)]heptane) is a strained, sa turated cyclic hydrocarbon and a potential environmental contaminant b ecause of uses in solar energy and optical memory storage devices and as a recently proposed additive to jet fuel. Quadricyclane is very uns table in both soil and water, and in the environment it exists as abio tic transformation products, tricyclo[2.2.1.0(2,6)]heptan-3-ol and bic yclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ol. In soils, tricyclo[2.2.1.0(2,6)]heptan-3-ol is microbially transformed to a C7H8O intermediate which we postulate to be tricyclo[2.2.1.0(2,6)]heptan-3-one. This compound is subsequent ly biodegraded over several months. Elevated respiration rates in soil s amended with tricyclo[2.2.1.0(2,6)]heptan-3-ol provide evidence that it is mineralized to CO2, while bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ol concentr ations in soil microcosms remained unchanged over a period of 8 months .