504 A ction of Bacillus cloacae [Jordan) on Glucose and Mannitol. 



Table IV. — Carbon Atoms per Molecule of Mannitol. 



Alcohol 



Acetic acid 



Formic acid .... 

 Carbon dioxide . 



0-22 

 0-14 

 0-26 

 0-18 



1 -13 

 0-55 



0- 12 



1- 16 



5 per molecule 1 "80 



aerogenes and B. coli communis respectively. Table IV sbows the number 

 of carbon atoms per molecule of mannitol represented by the various 

 products. As in the case of glucose, a considerable deficiency in the carbon 

 will be noticed ; this is to be accounted for by the production of acetyl- 

 methylcarbinol and butylene glycol, a qualitative experiment having shown 

 the presence of both these substances. 



In the case of mannitol there is practically no difference in the ratios 

 H2/CO2 for the two organisms B. cloacce and B. lactis aerogenes. As with 

 glucose, the amount of formic acid obtained from B. cloacce is considerably 

 greater than from either B. lactis aerogenes or B. coli communis. On the other 

 hand, the opposite is to be observed in the figures given for succinic acid. 

 A comparison of Tables I and III shows that B. cloaca} produces twice as 

 much alcohol from mannitol as from glucose. This further confirms the 

 suggestion previously made by Harden* that the formation of alcohol in 

 these reactions is related to the presence of the terminal CH 2 (OH)-CH(OH) 

 group, which occurs twice in the molecule of mannitol, and only once in 

 that of glucose. 



* Harden, ' Chem. Soc. Trans.,' 1901, p. 610. 



