Carbon Dioxide Utilization in the Synthesis of Acetic Acid by Clostridium Thermoaceticum

Abstract

Fermentation of glucose by C. thermoaceticum gives a high yield of acetic acid and a low yield of CO2. From expts. using CO2 labeled with the isotope C14 it was concluded that the process of fermentation involves a partial oxidation of the substrate to 2 moles each of acetic acid and CO2 followed by a reduction and condensation of CO2 to a 3d mole of acetic acid. This was adduced from the fact that Cu was to be found in the methyl as well as the carboxyl radicals of fermentation acetic acid and from calculations of the initial and final Cu content of the CO2.