Biochemical Degradation of Cyanamide and Dicyandiamide

The substrate specificity of enzymes at low catalytic activity is apparently much broader than previously assumed. This conclusion, based on the results of studies of the biochemical degradation of cyanamide and dicyandiamide, also contributes to the understanding of how chemicals not found in nature are metabolized when they are purposely or inadvertently released into the environment. In natural ecosystems the degradation time for these compounds is quite long in comparison to the duration of laboratory experiments. Thus enzymatic reactions such as the urease‐catalyzed hydrolysis of cyanamide (whose calcium salt is used as a fertilizer) may contribute to the degradation of toxic chemicals.