Plutonium-resistant fungi and actinomycetes in soil. II. Alteration of plutonium form

To determine if the form of soluble (< 0.01..mu..) /sup 239/Pu (IV), initially present as a DTPA complex, was altered during enrichments to isolate Pu-resistant microorganisms from soil, microbial cells and exocellular media were chemically characterized using Sephadex and thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) techniques and thin-layer electrophoresis (TLE). TLC and TLE were applied using various conditions of pH (pH 3.3, 6.6, 8.6), solvent composition (range in polarities) and support type (silica gel, cellulose, alumina). Autoradiography was employed to visualize the position of Pu on the chromatograms. The presence of Pu-containing compounds with TLC and TLE characteristics different than Pu-DTPA was ascertained in a tertiary enrichment culture containing 100 ..mu..g Pu/ml. The Pu compounds differed in R/sub F/, charge and stability at room temperatures. Thus, it appears likely that alteration of Pu form occurred during growth of Pu-resistant soil microorganisms.