Pfizer Handbook of Microbial Metabolites 24 



18 n-Butanol, C4H10O, colorless liquid, b.p. 117°, n^^" 1.3993. 



CH3CH2CH2CH2OH 



Clostridium acetobutylicum, CI. propylbutylicum, 

 CI. saccharobutylicum 



Yields of about 30% mixed solvents, mainly butanol, 

 but containing also acetone, isopropanol and ethanol are 

 common. 



Leland A. Underkofler and Richard J. Hickey, "Industrial 

 Fermentations," Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 

 N. Y., 1954 Vol. I; W. N. McCutchan and R. J. Hickey, The 

 butanol-acetone fermentations, chap. 11, pp. 347-388. 



19 2,3-Butanediol, C4H10O0, colorless liquid, b.p. 180°. 



The optical isomer produced depends on the micro- 

 organism. 



CH3— CH— CH— CH3 



I I 

 OH OH 



Aerobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens. Bacillus 

 polymyxa, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas hydrophila, Ba- 

 cillus mesentericus, yeasts 



Acetoin, diacetyl and alcohol are often produced at the 

 same time. Approximately 90% yields of butanediol have 

 been reported. 



J. A. Wheat, Ind. Eng. Chem. 45 2387 (1953). 



Leland A. Underkofler and Richard J. Hickey, "Industrial 

 Fermentations," Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 

 N. Y., 1954 Vol. II; G. A. Ledingham and A. C. Neish, Fer- 

 mentative production of 2,3-butanediol, chap. 2, pp. 27-93. 



Heikki Suomalainen and Lauri Jannes, Nature 157 336 

 (1946). 



20 Erythritol, C4H10O4. 



CH2— CH— CH— CH2 

 OH OH OH OH 



Armillaria mellea 



J. H. Birkinshaw, C. E. Stickings and P. Tessier, Bio- 

 chem. }. 42 329-332 (1948). 



Thirteen % of dry myceUum was the D-threitol isomer, 

 colorless needles, m.p. 88.5°, [aW +4.3° (c 1 in water), 

 — 11.1° (in 95% ethanol). Other isomers have been re- 



