Dimethyldithiocarbamates 
(Vapam = Sodium salt) 
After uptake of the fungicide sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate by the 
roots of cucumber plants, three other fungitoxic agents could be dis- 
tinquished on paper chromatograms (Dekhuijzen, 1961}. Studies with bean 
plants gave similar results. Incubation of potato chips in a solution 
of dimethyldithiocarbamate produced two of the compounds. One of these 
was identified by ultraviolet, infra-red, and optical rotation as di- 
methyldithiocarbamate-f-glucoside (Kaslander, 1961). By similar methods, 
another compound was isolated and identified as 6-(dimethyldithiocarbamoyl- 
thioalanine. A third compound was identified as optically active thia- 
zolidine-2-thione-4-carboxylic acid. This latter probably arises through 
non-enzymatic decomposition of the alanine derivative (Kaslander et al., 
1962). 
rom suspensions of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and 
sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate, a compound identified as y-(dimethyl- 
thiocarbamoylthio)-a-aminobutyric acid was isolated. Another unstable 
compound, thought to be the corresponding keto acid, was found but not 
completely identified (Sijpesteijn et al., 1962). Similar results were 
obtained with many other soil microorganisms. 
In soil the main decomposition product of the salt was methyl 
isothiocyanate. The rate of disappearance varied from 10% in builder's 
sand to 95-100% in light clay soil in 1 hour (Gray, 1962). 
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