DISMUTATION OF ENERGY 



165 



8 HZ + 8 X 



Shf 



-> 8 Z -f 8 HX 



8HX 



{ 



+ 4 {CO2I 



-^4 (HCOzl +4X 



-> 4 HZ + 4 X 



.+ 4Z 



4 {HCO2I > 3 CO2 + H2O + {CH2OI 



4 Z + 4 H2O 



-^ 4 HZ + O2 + 2 H2O 



4H2O + 4 !C02| 



Shv 



(7.14a) 



(7.14b) 



(7.14c) 

 (7.14d) 



(7.14) 



This mechanism is represented in scheme 7. VI. Its essential part is the 

 "energy dismutation " by the coupled reaction (7.14b), in which the 

 reoxidation of four reduction intermediates HX by four oxidation 

 intermediates Z is supposed to assist four other molecules HX in reducing 

 carbon dioxide. 



-> {CH2OI + O2 + 3 H2O + 3 CO2 



4CO, 



4{C0^ 



8X 8HZ 



I , ' 



(7.14 a) I 8 hi. 



i — — X 



8HX + 4Z + 4Z 



J L_ 



a{h^o} 



(714b) 



;7.i4d) 



4IHCO2) + 8X + 4HZ 4HZ 



(7.14c) 



{CH^o; +3CO2+H2O 



{o^l + aH^o 



(7.l4d) 

 O2 



Scheme 7. VI.— Photosynthesis according to the concept of energy dismutation 

 (second eight quanta scheme). Primary photochemical process is an oxidation-reduc- 

 tion reaction between eight molecules of an intermediate catalyst X and eight molecules 

 of another catalyst Z (one of them may be chlorophyll). The reduction of carbon 

 dioxide is coupled with the recombination of one-half of the primary photochemical 

 products. 



A similar scheme can be devised also by assuming an "energy dismu- 

 tation" on the "oxidation side" of the primary photochemical process, 

 that is, by postulating that the recombination of four pairs of primary 

 products gives four other primary oxidation products the power to 

 oxidize water according to reaction (7.14d). 



Simple energy dismutations are well known in physics. The descent 

 of one weight in a clock lifts the other weight to twice its original height, 

 doubling its potential energy. When two excited mercury atoms collide, 

 the result is often the excitation of one of them to twice its original 

 energy level, and the return of the other into the ground state (c/. Beutler 

 and Rabino witch 1930). 



(7.15) 



2Hg^ 



-> Hg** + Hg 



Chemical reactions involving "energy dismutations" undoubtedly 

 occur in chemosynthesizing bacteria, in which the oxidation of several 



