Quadricyclane (tetracyclo[3.2.02,7.04,6]heptane) is a strained, saturated cyclic hydrocarbon and a potential environmental contaminant because of uses in solar energy and optical memory storage devices and as a recently proposed additive to jet fuel. Quadricyclane is very unstable in both soil and water, and in the environment it exists as abiotic transformation products, tricyclo[2.2.1.02,6]heptan-3-ol and bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ol. In soils, tricyclo[2.2.1.02,6]heptan-3-ol is microbially transformed to a C7H8O intermediate which we postulate to be tricyclo[2.2.1.02,6]heptan-3-one. This compound is subsequently biodegraded over several months. Elevated respiration rates in soils amended with tricyclo[2.2.1.02,6]heptan-3-ol provide evidence that it is mineralized to CO2, while bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ol concentrations in soil microcosms remained unchanged over a period of 8 months.Key words: quadricyclane, biotransformation, biodégradation, tricyclo[2.2.1.02,6]heptan-3-ol, bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ol.