Biochemical decomposition of the herbicide N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-methylpentanamide and related compounds.

Organisms capable of decomposing N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-methylpentanamide (Karsil) were isolated, identified, and tested for their ability to hydrolyze this herbicide. Primary products of Karsil decomposition by cells and cell-free extracts of a Penicillium sp. were identified as 2-methyl-valeric acid and 3,4-dichloroaniline. The Karsil acylamidase (EC 3.5.1.a aryl acylamine amidohydrolase) was an induced enzyme. It was partially purified and tested for its ability to hydrolyze 25 related compounds. Some relations between the structures of these compounds and their susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis were discerned.