During the past five years increased awareness of environmental contamination by nitroaromatic compounds has led to a dramatic increase in research on their biodegradation. The resulting discoveries have markedly extended our understanding of degradation mecha nisms and pathways in bacteria and fungi. Futhermore, this new basic knowledge promises the development of field applications of biodegradation systems for nitroaromatic com pounds. In May of 1994, an International Symposium on the Biodegradation of Nitro aromatic Compounds was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. This symposium brought together the scientists at the frontiers of research into the biodegradation of nitro aromatic compounds. The invited speakers were asked to review their area of expertise and write a critical, comprehensive synthesis of their work and related work by others. This book is the result of their efforts. The emphasis of the reviews is on basic research in biodegradation and biotransfor mation. Therefore, the reactions of nitroaromatic compounds in plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, soil, and even nonbiological systems are considered. The goal of the work is to provide the reader with an appreciation of the tremendous range of possibilities for metabolism of aromatic nitro compounds and the experimental approaches used to understand them. This volume should be of interest to biochemists, microbiologists, engineers, toxicologists, and anyone interested in the behavior of synthetic chemicals in the environment or in living systems. Furthermore, a variety of commercial applications can be envisioned for some of the reactions described here.

Inhalt
Section I. Overview.- 1 Basic Knowledge and Perspectives on Biodegradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene and Related Nitroaromatic Compounds in Contaminated Soil.- Section II. Aerobic Bacteria.- 2 Bacterial Degradation of Nitroaromatic Compounds under Aerobic Conditions.- 3 Microbial Production of Catechols From Nitroaromatic Compounds.- 4 Potential of Toluene-Degrading Systems for the Construction of Hybrid Pathways for Nitrotoluene Metabolism.- Section III. Anaerobic Bacteria.- 5 Anaerobic Transformation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene and Other Nitroaromatic Compounds.- 6 Biodegradation of Nitrated Munition Compounds and Herbicides by Obligately Anaerobic Bacteria.- 7 Reductive Metabolism of Nitroaromatic and Nitropolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.- Section IV. Fungi.- 8 Biodegradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium.- 9 Pathway of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) Degradation by Phanerochaete Chrysosporium.- Section V. Related Biochemistry.- 10 Bioorganic Chemistry of the Arylhydroxylamine and Nitrosoarene Functional Groups.- 11 Transformation of Inorganic N-Oxides by Denitrifying and Nitrifying Bacteria: Pathways, Mechanisms, and Relevance to Biotransformation of Nitroaromatic Compounds.- 12 Environmental Processes Influencing the Rate of Abiotic Reduction of Nitroaromatic Compounds in the Subsurface.