CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERMEDIATES IN THE MICROBIAL DESULFURIZATION OF DIBENZOTHIOPHENE

The desulfurization of dibenzothiophene by Rhodococcus rhodochrous IGTS8 gave several microbial products which were isolated by extraction from the culture media. Two key compounds that were proposed as intermediates in the 4S pathway, for dibenzothiophene desulfurization, are 2'-hydroxybiphenyl-2-sulfinic acid and 2'-hydroxybiphenyl-2-sulfonic acid. By utilizing a gas chromatographic/Fourier transform infrared/mass spectrometry (GC/FTIR/MS) system, these compounds were identified in the sultine form, dibenz[c,e] [1,2]oxathiin 6-oxide, and sultone form, dibenz[c,e]-[1,2]oxathiin 6,6-dioxide, respectively. High-confidence identifications of these metabolites were provided by matching spectral data obtained from the components in extracts with that obtained for synthesized standards.