BIOSYNTHESIS OF MANNITOL-C14 FROM C14O2 BY DETACHED LEAVES OF WHITE ASH AND LILAC

Abstract
To find a higher plant suitable for the biosynthesis of mannitol-C14, detached leaves of 20 species were illuminated in the presence of C14O2 and subsequent distribution of C14 among their sugars was determined. Mannitol-C14 was found in 4 species, verbascose-C14 in 3, stachyose-C14 in 9, raffinose-C14 in 16, mellibiose-C14in 2, maltose-C14 in 15, sucrose-C14 in 20, galactose-C14 in 8, glucose-C14 in 17, and fructose-C14 in 12. Syringa vulgaris L. and Fraxinus americana L. were found to be the most suitable plants for the preparation of radioactive mannitol of high specific activity. The yield was 19.6% in Syringa, with specific activity = 38.4 μc/mg, and 8.4% in Fraxinus, with specific activity = 68.5 μc/mg.