Resting cell suspensions of a soil Pseudomonus sp readily metabolize vinyl chloride Studies with a combination of I3C and I4C labeled vinyl chloride and metabolites establish that the initial dehalogenation step formally entails a direct hydroxylation of the C-C1 bond to produce acetaldehyde This substance undergoes biochemical oxidation at both the carbonyl and the methyl carbons to produce acetic acid and hydroxyacetaldehyde These are both further oxidized by the organism to hydroxyacetic acid (glycolic acid), and the latter is converted to carbon dioxide The rate of C1 liberation from vinyl chloride is a function of growth conditions Cells grown on 3 chloropropanol carry out the dehalogenation of vinyl chloride with a t,,, of 1 3 h at a cell density of 0 1 g/ml