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Abstract Nitrosomonas europaea oxidizes ammonium to nitrous oxide, a reaction that is enhanced by storing the bacteria at low temperature and by phosphate and high pH. Nitrous oxide is also formed from hydroxylamine by the autotroph. Nitrous oxide is apparently generated from an intermediate in nitrification, and the data suggest that the conversion of this intermediate to nitrite is inhibited by ammonium, hydrazine, or high temperature. Nitrous oxide is also formed during nitrate reduction by Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli , and Aerobacter aerogenes and during nitrite reduction by Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium atrocenetum . It is suggested that the production of nitrous oxide by the autotrophic nitrifier, Nitrosomonas , and by such heterotrophic organisms may be of biogeochemical importance.
Yoshida et al. (Sun,) studied this question.