The bacterial production of acetylmethylcarbinol and 2.3-butylene glycol from various substances.―II

Abstract

The action of B. Subtilis (Cohn), B. mesentericus vulgatus (Flügge) ( B. vulgatus (Flügge) Migula), and Tyrothrix tenuis (Duclaux) ( B. tenuis (Duclaux) L. and N.) on various substances has been investigated by Péré (1). This observer, on distilling his various culture media, obtained lævo-rotatory distillates strongly reducing to Fehling’s solution. In all cases he concluded that the volatile substance present was glyceraldehyde, and upon his results based a theory that sugars undergoing bacterial fermentation break down primarily to a triose, that is to say, glycerose. He was, however, unable to characterise his compound satisfactorily; for example, it did not give Schiff’s reaction, no osazone was obtainable, and although in some cases he obtained small quantities of lead, calcium, and barium salts of an acid formed by the oxidation of his volatile substance with nitric acid, which he took for salts of glyceric acid, the quantities analysed were so small that no reliance can be placed upon the results. Moreover, none of his salts was obtained in crystalline form.