TRANSFORMATION OF SUBSTITUTED FLUORENES AND FLUORENE ANALOGS BY PSEUDOMONAS SP STRAIN F274

Pseudomonas sp. strain F274, previously shown to catabolize fluorene via fluorenone and its angular dioxygenation, 2'3'-dihydroxy-2-carboxybiphenyl, phthalate, and protocatechuate, was examined for its ability to transform substituted fluorenes and S- and N-heterocyclic analogs. Halogen- and methyl-substituted fluorenes were metabolized to correspondingly substituted phthalates via attack on the unsubstituted ring. fn the case of 1-methylfluorene, initial oxidation of the methyl group to carboxyl prevented all other transformations but 9-monooxygenation. This strain also oxidized the S-heteroatoms and benzylic methylenic groups of fluorene analogs. No angular dioxygenation of S- and N-heterocycles was observed.