On the Physiological Behaviour of Maleic 

 and Fumaric acids. 



BY 



T. Ishizuka, Nogakushi. 



The stereo-isomeric fumaric and maleic acids, 

 HOOC-CH CH-COOH 



II and || show not only in chemical, 



CH-COOH CH-COOH, 



but also in physiological respects highly interesting differences. 

 Mould fungi can easily utilize fumaric acid as source of carbon for 

 building up their protoplasm, but not maleic acid. (1) Lcezv {i) found 

 a similiar difference for bacteria ; fumaric acid is an excellent 

 nutrient, while maleic acid an exceedingly poor one.^ 



Moreover, Pfeffer found that maleic acid exerts an attracting 

 influence upon spermatozoids of ferns, while fumaric acid shows no 

 such action. 



Again, recent investigations show that maleic acid is more 

 poisonous for the higher animals than fumaric ; if per kilo body- 

 weight of a dog are injected 1.94 grams of maleic acid in the form 

 of the sodium salt into the veins it suffices to kill the dog, while 

 with fumaric acid it will not. (3) 



It appeared to me of some interest, to investigate, whether 

 analogous physiological differences exist in regard to chlorophyll- 

 bearing plants and the lower aquatic animals. 



Preliminary trials showed that highly diluted solutions of the 

 neutral sodium salts of both acids did not exert any noxious in- 

 fluence upon plants ; but it may be possible that maleic acid is 

 transformed by the vital activity into fumaric, before it can 

 exert a noxious action. The fact that there is never found in 

 the vegetable kingdom maleic, but fumaric acid is, (4) renders this 

 sirpposition indeed admissible. Therefore, the neutral sodium 

 salts of maleic and fumaric acids were applied in higher concen- 

 trations, and here indeed it became evident that maleic acid acts 

 more noxiously than fumaric acid. 



(1) E. Buchner. Ber. D. Chem. Ges. 24, 1163. 



(2) Central-Bl. f. Bact ; 12, 361. 



(3) Fodcra, Chem. Ztg., Dec. 1895. 



(4) Fumaric acid was found in Fumaria officinalis, Corydalis bulbosa, Glaucium 

 luteum, further in different kinds of Agariczts and in Cetraria islandica. 



