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 15 g of frozen (-80° C.) Aspergillus nidulans FT17SYCSL/OL (72 IU glycolate oxidase and 33,300 IU catalase) and 1.4×106 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 17 hours, the yields of glyoxylic acid, oxalic acid, and formic acid were 76%, 0%, and 4.1%, respectively, with 16.8% recovery of glycolic acid. The final activities of glycolate oxidase and Aspergillus niger catalase were 7% and 49% of their initial values.

Provenance & Evidence