236 ; BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MARCH 
From these facts the following conclusions are drawn. First, the combina- 
tion of sugar and phosphates is effected by a soluble enzyme to which the 
author gives the name “‘synthease.”’ Second, if the phospho-organic compound 
were a hexose-compound, as maintained by HARDEN and Youns, fermentation 
by living yeast should take place after the sugar, a hexose in this case, has been 
liberated from the phosphate. Since such fermentation does not take place, 
the sugar liberated must be a triose. Third, since “Hefanol,” which by 
washing has been freed from “synthease,” will ferment triose-phosphate but 
not glucose, the synthesis of the triose-phosphate is a necessary intermediate 
step in the fermentation of sugar. 
The author represents his view of the course of fermentation in three stages: 
(x) depolymerization of glucose, (2) synthesis of triose-phosphate by the sol- 
uble enzyme “synthease,” and (3) splitting of the triose-phosphate by “alco- 
holase,” an almost insoluble enzyme remaining in the zymin residue after 
washing. 
In a later paper,’ somewhat controversial in its nature, HARDEN “— 
Younc present the results of further studies bearing directly on IWANOFFS 
contentions. They point out that if Iwanorr’s formulation of the process 
of fermentation is correct, the triose-phosphate of IwanorF is an intermediate 
compound, the formation of which precedes the evolution of carbon dioxid; 
whereas the authors have shown that the formation of the phospho-organie 
compound is accompanied by the evolution of carbon dioxid. e case is the 
same whether yeast juice or zymin is used. It is further shown that the 
filtrate from a fermenting mixture of cane sugar and zymin, prepared after the 
method of Iwanorr, is still capable of producing fermentation; therefore the 
formation of the phospho-organic compound taking place when phosphates 
are added to such filtrate, is not proof that the phospho-organic compound 
With regard 
Other experiments bearing on this subject have been reported in apere 
paper by Harpen and Younc.6 Several phases of the question are take 
a Harpen, A., and Youne, W. J., The function of phosphates in alcoholic ferm 
tation. Centralbl. Bakt. IT. 26:178-184. 1910. 
The alcoholic ferment of yeast juice. Proc. Roy. Soc. B $2:321-33% . : 
Igo. 
