Is carbonyl sulfide a precursor for carbon disulfide in vegetation and soil? Interconversion of carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide in fresh grain tissues in vitro.

The interconversion of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS(2)) was studied in the roots and shoots of barley and chickpeas. Ratios of conversion gases, K, 40 h after the addition of COS or CS(2) are recorded. The proportion of COS converted to each of CS(2), CO, and H(2)S and the proportion of CS(2) converted to COS were greater in roots than in shoots. More COS was converted to CS(2) than CS(2) to COS in roots and shoots of barley and chickpeas. The amount of COS converted to H(2)S and CO was 8 times the amount converted to CS(2) in barley and 3-4 times the amount in chickpeas. Carbonyl sulfide may be a precursor for CS(2) in vegetation and soil, just as the reverse is true in the atmosphere. These two different results might form a cycle of COS and CS(2).