Glycolic Acid → Glyoxylic Acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A 300-mL EZE-Seal stirred autoclave reactor (Autoclave Engineers) was charged with 100 mL of a solution containing glycolic acid (0.500M), aminomethylphosphonic acid (0.375M), isobutyric acid (0.100M, HPLC internal standard), and flavin mononucleotide (0.01 mM) at pH 8.3 (adjusted with 50% NaOH), and the solution cooled to 5° C. To the reactor was then added 26 g of frozen (-80° C.) Aspergillus nidulans FT17SYCSL/OL (124 IU glycolate oxidase and 57,800 IU catalase) and 5.6×105 units of Aspergillus niger soluble catalase (Sigma), the cells allowed to thaw at 5° C., and the pH of the resulting mixture re-adjusted to 8.3 with 50% NaOH. This mixture was stirred at 400 rpm and 5° C. under 120 psig of oxygen while bubbling oxygen through the mixture at 50 mL/min. After 10 hours, the yields of glyoxylic acid, oxalic acid, and formic acid were 83%, 0%, and 9.4%, respectively, with 4.4% recovery of glycolic acid. The final activities of glycolate oxidase and Aspergillus niger catalase were 17% and 88% of their initial values.

Provenance & Evidence