AMMONIFICA TION 411 



teria are used upon different substances, the order of 

 their efficiency is changed with the change of sub- 

 stance. It seems likely, therefore, that certain forms 

 are most efficient when acting on certain organic com- 

 pounds. That, in other words, each species is best 

 adapted to the decomposition of certain substances, 

 while capable of attacking others, although less effec- 

 tively. 



Among the bacteria producing ammonification 

 are B. mycoides, B. subtilis, B. mesentericus vulgatus, 

 B. janthinus and Proteus vulgaris. Of these, B. mycoides 

 has been very carefully studied, and the findings of 

 Marchal may be taken as representative of the process 

 of ammonification. He found that when this bacterium 

 was seeded on a neutral solution of albumin, ammonia 

 and carbon dioxid were produced, together with small 

 amounts of peptones, leucin, tyrosin, and formic, 

 butyric and proprionic acids. He concludes that in 

 the process, atmospheric oxygen is used, and that 

 the carbon of the albumin is converted into carbon 

 dioxid, the sulfur into sulfuric acid, the hydrogen 

 partly into water, and partly into ammonia by com- 

 bining with the nitrogen of the organic substance. 

 He suggests that a complete decomposition of the al- 

 bumin occurs according to the following reaction: 



C 72 H 112 N 18 S0 22 + 770 2 = 29 H 2 + 72C0 2 + S0 3 + 18NH 3 . 



The greatest activity occurred at a temperature of 

 86 Fahr., and as low as 68 Fahr. action was quite 

 strong. Access of an increased amount of air, produced 

 by increasing the surface of the liquid, increased the 



