Liver alcohol dehydrogenase and ester formation

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Abstract
The ability of certain liver enzyme prepns. to bring about the dismutation of formaldehyde was confirmed. When methanol was present in the system, the disappearance of formaldehyde was greatly accelerated, but without any corresponding acceleration of acid production. The appearance of formate was, however, increased to a degree corresponding with the acceleration of formaldehyde utilization. After prolonged incubation of the reaction media, acid formation continued to increase and finally became equal to formate production. The discrepancy between acid and formate production during the early stages of the reaction was due to the accumulation of a volatile ester of formic acid. The ester subsequently underwent a slow hydrolysis. It is suggested that the ester formed from formaldehyde in the presence of methanol is methyl formate, and that it arises as the product of dehydrogenation of the semi-acetal formed from formaldehyde and methanol. Volatile-ester formation occurs also in an enzyme-formaldehyde-ethanol system, but to a smaller extent.