Abstract
1. When Chong Ju and Chung Ju soils possessing different physicochemical properties were treated with 500 ppm of TOK and incubated in flooded anaerobic condition for 2, 4, and 6 months, respectively, they produced 4-Chloro-4'-amino diphenyl ether, 2,4-Dichloro-4'-amino diphenyl ether(amin-TOK), N-[4'-(4-Chlorophenoxy)] phenyl acetamide, and N-[4'-(4-Chlorophenoxy)] phenyl formamide as the metabolities. This result indicates that TOK undergose the reduction of its $NO_2\;to\;NH_2$ group, dechlorination, acetylation, and formylation under this condition. The cleavage of ether linkage does not occur. In addition, TOK degrades more readily in Chung Ju soil which is characterized by pH 6.43 and higher contents of $Ca^{++}$ and C.E.C. than in Chong Ju soil which is lower in pH, $Ca^{++}$, and C.E.C. 2. In the aerobic incubation of TOK of 25ppm in Chung Ju soil suspension for 21 days, the ratio of the resulting metabolites, TOK : amino-TOK : 4-Chloro-4'-amino diphenyl ether was 100 : 130 : 76. Meanwhile, in the 42 day incubation, the ratio was 100 : 19 : 5, which indicates that TOK in aerobic condition dose not necessrily degrade as a function of the incubation period. 3. The citrate buffer extract of Chung Ju soil has the capability of degrading TOK, which was verified to be due to the action of the microorganisms involved. 4. Twelye strains of soil bacteria were isolated from the TOK-treated soils. In the incubation of TOK in pure cultures of the respective isolates, the strain T-1-1 isolated from Chong Ju soil had almost no degradability whereas the strain T-2-3 was the most potent. The degradation of TOK by the isolates constituted mostly the reduction of the nitro group to amino group. 5. In a test for the degradability of TOK by some selected microorganisms, Pseudomonas species were more potent than fungi. Yet, Isolate B which had been isolated from Chung Ju soil suspension was the most potent.
