Trimethylolethane → Dimethylolpropionic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

One loopful bacterial cells of Rhodococcus erythropolis SD806 strain were inoculated in 200 ml of a culture medium having the same composition as culture medium 1 shown in Table 3 and incubated with shaking at 30° C. for 2 days. After completion of the incubation, the bacterial cells were harvested by centrifugation and 1 liter of a 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer solution containing 5 g of 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane was added thereto to prepare a resting cell suspension reaction mixture. The reaction mixture had a turbidity in terms of absorbance of 0.8 at 660 nm. This was shaken at 30° C. for 24 hours. A portion of the reaction mixture was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and as a result, it was found that 3.3 g of 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane was oxidized and decomposed to produce 1.1 g of 2,2-bis (hydroxymethyl)propionaldehyde and 2.0 g of 2,2-bis (hydroxymethyl)propionic acid.

Provenance & Evidence