Direct trapping of formaldehyde formed via oxidative N-demethylation of N,N-dialkylarylamines by Bacillus megaterium using cysteamine derivatization.

Oxidative N-demethylation was measured by incubation experiments using Bacillus megaterium isolated from topsoil as a biocatalyst for the N-demethylation of the N,N-dialkylarylamines N,N-dimethylaniline and N-ethyl-N-methylaniline. Formed formaldehyde, normally difficult to analyse in biological systems because of further metabolization, was successfully trapped and converted into thiazolidine by addition of cysteamine into the incubation media. Studies using N,N-di-(trideutero-methyl)-aniline and N-ethyl-N-(trideuteromethyl)-aniline as well as N,N-di-[methyl-(13)C]-aniline and N-ethyl-N-[methyl-(13)C]-aniline were performed to confirm that the N-demethylation proceeds via formaldehyde.