DEAMINIZATION 471 



Reduction Processes in the Economy. Besides oxidation 

 processes there undoubtedly take place reduction processes 

 in the body ; as examples may be mentioned the transition of 



CCl, CCl, 



chloral, I . _ into trichlorethyl alcohol, L_ of nitro- 



COH L/rla.Url 



xNH, 



benzol, C 6 H 4 .NO 2 , into aminophenol, C ' H '\ OH ' of picric 



acid, C 6 H 4 (NO a ) 3 (OH), into picraminic acid, C 6 H 2 (N0 2 ) 2 



/NO, 

 (NH 2 ) (OH),andof nitrobenzaldehyde,C6H4< , into acetyl- 



X NH(CO.CH 8 ) 



aminobenzoic acid, CeH4 \ orkrkrr (In the last instance the 



A_X)Ori 



reduction of the nitrous group into the amino group takes 

 place with acetyl combination with the latter and with oxida- 

 tion of the aldehyde group to carboxyl.) 48 The " reducing 

 ferments ' ' will be considered later. 



Deamwization. Processes of deaminization are of con- 

 siderable importance in the economy, being indispensable 

 to the elaboration of the aminoacids which go to form the 

 protein molecule. An excellent example of intravital de- 

 aminization is seen in the transition of diaminopropionic 



CH,.NH, CH 2 .OH<* 



acid, CH.NHj , into glyceric acid ; CH.OH . The study of the 



COOH COOH 



elaboration of aminoacids by low forms of vegetable life 

 affords very instructive analogies to deaminization proc- 

 esses in the animal economy. Eeference has previously 

 been made to the views at present held upon the action of 

 fermentative yeasts on the elaboration of aminoacids. By 

 mould fungi (according to the studies of Felix Ehrlich) 

 aminoacids are catabolized typically following the equation : 



48 Literature upon Reduction Processes in the Body: S. Frankel, Dyna- 

 mische Biochemie, Wiesbaden, 1911, pp. 71-75; E. Meyer (F. v. Mtiller's 

 Clinic, Munich), Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., J^6, 497, 1905. 



"P. Mayer (Salkowski's Lab.), Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 42, 59, 1904. 



