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Science 2 May 1980:
Vol. 208. no. 4443, pp. 500 - 502
DOI: 10.1126/science.208.4443.500
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Articles

Selenium Biomethylation Products from Soil and Sewage Sludge

D. C. REAMER 1 and W. H. ZOLLER 1

1 Department of Chemistry, University of Maryland, College Park 20742

Inorganic selenium compounds are converted to volatile methylated species (dimethyl selenide, dimethyl diselenide, and dimethyl selenone or methyl methylselenite) by microorganisms in sewage sludge and soil. In the absence of added selenium, no volatile selenium compounds were detected. All samples were evaluated without the addition of nutrients and in the presence of air or nitrogen. The methylation process may be an important step in the detoxification process for microorganisms exposed to high concentrations of selenium.

Submitted on October 19, 1979
Revised on January 23, 1980


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Freshwater Bacteria Can Methylate Selenium through the Thiopurine Methyltransferase Pathway.
L. Ranjard, S. Nazaret, and B. Cournoyer (2003)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 69, 3784-3790
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Fate of Dimethyldiselenide in Soil.
Y. Zhang and W. T. Frankenberger Jr. (2002)
J. Environ. Qual. 31, 1124-1128
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)