[Products of bacterial destruction of sodium dodecyl sulphate].

The products of Na dodecyl sulphate destruction by the three bacterial cultures--Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Flavobacterium devorans, Achromobacter guttatus--were examined. The cultures were shown to decompose Na dodecyl sulphate in a similar way. The primary mechanism of destruction was found to be hydrolysis of the sulpho-ester bond in the molecule, leading to the separation of sulphate-ion and formation of dodecanol. Products of bacterial destruction of alkyl sulphates did not show foam forming capacity.