Glycolic Acid → Formate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Into a 3 oz. Fischer-Porter glass aerosol reaction vessel was placed a magnetic stirring bar and 10 mL of an aqueous solution containing glycolic acid (0.25M), aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA, 0.263M), FMN (0.01 mM), propionic acid (HPLC internal standard, 0.125M), glycolate oxidase (from spinach, 1.0 IU/mL), and catalase (from Aspergillus niger, 1,400 IU/mL) at pH 8.5. The reaction vessel was sealed and the reaction mixture was cooled to 15° C., then the vessel was flushed with oxygen by pressurizing to 70 psig and venting to atmospheric pressure five times with stirring. The vessel was then pressurized to 70 psig of oxygen and the mixture stirred at 15° C. Aliquots (0.10 mL) were removed by syringe through a sampling port (without loss of pressure in the vessel) at regular intervals for analysis by HPLC to monitor the progress of the reaction. After 5 h, the HPLC yields of glyoxylate, formate, and oxalate were 70.4%, 19.6%, and 2.2%, respectively, and 5.3% glycolate remained. The remaining activity of glycolate oxidase and catalase were 27% and 100%, respectively, of their initial values.

Provenance & Evidence