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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1966 March; 14(2): 156-160
Copyright © 1966 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Metabolism of Linear Alcohols with Various Chain Lengths by a Pseudomonas Species

Department of Bacteriology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas C12B grew on and oxidized linear primary alcohols with even- and odd-numbered carbon chains ranging from C₂ to C₁₁. Cell-free extracts of the bacteria contained a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenase(s) active with these alcohols and with branched primary and linear secondary alcohols as well. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography of hexane extracts of filtrates of cultures containing mixtures of even-carbon numbered alcohols from C₁₀ to C₁₈ revealed that decanol was rapidly utilized, whereas the remainder were slowly dissimilated up to 19 hr and then were rapidly degraded in the next few hours of culture. The validity for these studies of (i) steam distillation as a method for collecting the alcohols from cultures, and (ii) quantitative estimation by gas-liquid chromatographic comparison with an added internal marker, was established. Steam distillation and gas-liquid chromatography were then used to show that failure to demonstrate stoichiometry of sulfate and dodecanol in the alkyl sulfatase reaction in a previous study resulted from contamination of the commercial "Dodecyl Sodium Sulfate, 95%" used with decyl, undecyl, and tetradecyl sulfates.