The conversion of the unnatural substrate exomethylene cephalosporin C by deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (DAOC/DACS) has been studied by the use of competitive kinetic isotope experiments. These suggest that the first irreversible event in this conversion does not involve C4-hydrogen abstraction. A novel epoxide cepham metabolite has been isolated from the enzymic conversion of [4-H-2]exomethylene cephalosporin C. It is believed that increased formation of this shunt metabolite is caused by the operation of a deuterium kinetic isotope effect on an enzyme-bound intermediate. The epoxide cepham is also accepted as a substrate by DAOC/DACS, being oxidised to an aldehyde product.