THE ENZYMATIC CONVERSION OF MANDELIC ACID TO BENZOIC ACID I

Abstract
Dried, mandelate-grown cells of Pseudomonas fluorescens oxidize both isomers of mandelic acid to benzoic acid. Studies with dried cells show that this sequence involves: a mandelate oxidizing enzyme which converts mandelic acid to benzoylformic acid, a benzoylformic carboxylase which requires cocarboxylase for activity, and a benzaldehyde dehydrogenase, activated by diphos-phopyridine nucleotide.