Confirmation of the aerobic production of trimethylstibine by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis

The filamentous fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis produces volatile trimeth ylstibine, found in the culture headspace, when grown in an antimony(III)-r ich medium under aerobic conditions. The trimethylstibine was purged from c ultures using a continuous flow of compressed air and trapped in a U-shaped tube containing Supelcoport SP 2100 at -78 degrees C. The trap contents we re determined by using GC-ICP-MS methodology. Typically between 60 and 500 pg of trimethylstibine was trapped during sampling (12 h) from cultures con taining 1000 mu g Sb ml(-1) as potassium antimony tartrate. The total produ ction of trimethylstibine over 18 days of growth was estimated at 10 ng, Tr imethylarsine was produced in greater quantities than trimethylstibine, eve n though no arsenic compounds were added to the medium, Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.