Oxidations in acetobacter

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Abstract
The intermediary stages of the bacterial oxidation of acetic acid were investigated by the use of washed cell sus-pensions of A. turbidans. Ethanol, propanol, lactatc, pyru-vate, glycerol, glucose, formate, and other substances were oxidized. Methanol, isopropanol, glycollate, propionate and butyrate were not oxidized. The duration of the lag period of some substances was found to be increased with the time of storage of cells and dilution of the suspension. The lag period of acetate oxidation was reduced and the rate of oxidation was increased by addition of small quantities of lactate, pyruvate, glycerol, succinate, malate, fumarate, a-ketoglutarate, glucose, formate, and formaldehyde, and adenosinetriphosphate (but not members of the vitamin B complex). The assumption is that the added substances or their breakdown products give rise, in the presence of acetate, to the formation of an intermediate necessary for the oxidation. Some factors influencing the oxidation of acetate ive come to light but the intermediary stages were not elucidated.