1200 
With the active microbes the reaction is caused by a certain 
portion of the living protoplasm, or in other words, by an endoenzyme 
or an endooxidase, to which the name of malopyruvase might be 
given. [t belongs to the complex of the different endoenzymes which 
together govern the respiration function, of which it is one of the 
factors in MENDELIAN sense. 
From the levogyrie or common malic acid and the inactive malice 
acid pyruvie acid results with the same readiness; from the dextro- 
gyric malice acid, which we owed to Prof. BLANKsMa, it is produced 
with much more difficulty. 
The said microbes which produce pyruvic acid from the malic 
acids do the same from fumaric acid: 
C,H,0, + O=C,H,0, + CO, 
but not from maleinic acid. We used fumarie acid as lime salt, 
prepared from the free fumaric acid after its purification by washing 
with water. Hence, malate of lime was not present in our fumarate. 
That the ferric reaction is in fact caused by pyruvie acid is 
corroborated by the following observations. 
The conversion of the malate can very well occur in a strongly 
aerated culture liquid, for instance in an ERLENMEYER-flask containing 
a thin layer of: 100 tapwater, 2 calciummalate, 0.1 ammonium sulfate, 
0.02 potassium phosphate, with or without ferric citrate as an indicator. 
By infection with B. fluorescens and when cultivated at 20 to 25° C., 
after a few days the pyruvic acid can be destilled with sulfurie acid 
and be recognised in the destillate, not only by the odour and ferric - 
salts, but also by the two following reactions: with the sulfite of 
hydrazin a characteristic phenylhydrazon results, and with ammoniac- 
al nitroprussidsodium a violet colouring is obtained, which by 
acetic acid passes into blue, with potash into red. ’) 
Indirectly the correctness of our diagnose was proved by the fact 
that as well alanin as asparaginie acid with the fluorescent bacteria, 
and besides with B. evans and B. viscosus, produce the iron reac- 
tion, so that also from these substances, in accordance with our 
expectation, pyruvic acid results. 
On the other hand, this acid cannot be obtained from asparagin, 
aminopropionie acid, and glycerin, nor, as has already been noted, 
from maleinic acid. 
1) Rosenruater, Der Nachweis organischer Verbindungen. P. 390, 1914. 
