Organosilicon substances are ubiquitous in the environment due to their stability and numerous applications in consumer products. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce their environmental persistency. Our study aimed to better understand the impact of silicon atoms in organic compounds on their environmental biodegradability as a contribution to sustainable chemistry. Accordingly, we investigated the biodegradability of organosilicon compounds and their carbon analogues. OECD 301D test was used to assess ready biodegradability. In addition, GC-MS analyses were performed to study the fate of the compounds in the test. Three out of five carbon compounds and no organosilicon compound were found readily biodegradable. In all but one case, higher biodegradation degrees could be observed for the carbon compounds. Hydrolysis was identified as a mandatory step prior to the biodegradation of organosilicon substances. The silicon-free product of hydrolysis determined the rate of biodegradation. The silicon-containing reaction products of hydrolysis were not biodegradable. The high biodegradability of one organosilicon compound can be attributed to faster hydrolysis due to an easily hydrolysable Si–N bond and a high biodegradation rate of the resulting silicon-free hydrolysis product. Insertion of such heteroatoms or functional groups into polysiloxane chains may be a promising approach to benign organosilicon compounds.

有机硅物质由于其稳定性和在消费产品中的众多应用而在环境中无处不在。因此，期望降低其环境持久性。我们的研究旨在更好地了解有机化合物中硅原子对其环境生物降解性的影响，以促进可持续化学的发展。因此，我们研究了有机硅化合物及其碳类似物的生物降解性。OECD 301D测试用于评估现成的生物降解能力。另外，进行了GC-MS分析以研究化合物在测试中的命运。五分之三的碳化合物中，没有发现有机硅化合物易于生物降解。除一种情况外，在所有情况下，碳化合物的生物降解度都较高。水解被确定为有机硅物质生物降解之前的强制性步骤。水解的无硅产物决定了生物降解的速率。水解的含硅反应产物不可生物降解。一种有机硅化合物的高生物降解性可归因于其易水解的Si-N键和所得无硅水解产物的高生物降解速率，从而使其水解速度更快。将此类杂原子或官能团插入聚硅氧烷链可能是良性有机硅化合物的有前途的方法。一种有机硅化合物的高生物降解性可归因于其易水解的Si-N键和所得无硅水解产物的高生物降解速率，从而使其水解速度更快。将此类杂原子或官能团插入聚硅氧烷链可能是良性有机硅化合物的有前途的方法。一种有机硅化合物的高生物降解性可归因于其易水解的Si-N键和所得无硅水解产物的高生物降解速率，从而使其水解速度更快。将此类杂原子或官能团插入聚硅氧烷链可能是良性有机硅化合物的有前途的方法。