Alcoholic Fermentation: Second Edition, 1914Harden, Arthur
Science
Alcoholic Fermentation: Second Edition, 1914
Harden, Arthur
Fermentation
The acceleration produced is of the same order of magnitude as that
obtained with phosphate, but it is maintained without alteration
for a considerable period, so that there is no equivalence between
the amount of arsenate added and the extra amount of fermentation
effected. Further, no organic arsenic compound corresponding in
composition with the hexosephosphates appears to be formed.
Increase of concentration of arsenate produces a rapid inhibition of
[p076] fermentation, probably due to some secondary effect on the
fermenting complex, possibly to be interpreted as the formation of
compounds incapable of combining with sugar and hence unable to carry
on the process of fermentation. An optimum concentration of arsenate
therefore exists just as of phosphate, at which the maximum rate is
observed, and this optimum concentration and the corresponding rate
vary with different samples of juice and are less for glucose than
for fructose. The rate of fermentation by zymin is relatively less
increased than that by yeast-juice.
Owing to the fact that the rate is permanently maintained the addition
of a suitable amount of arsenate increases the total fermentation
produced to a much greater extent than phosphate.
The nature of these effects may be gathered from the result of a few
typical experiments. In one case the rate of fermentation of glucose
by yeast-juice was raised by the presence of 0·03 molar arsenate from
2 to 23 c.c. per five minutes, and the total evolved in ninety-five
minutes from 51 to 459 c.c. The accelerating effect on 20 c.c. of
juice, of as little as 0·005 c.c. of 0·3 molar arsenate, containing
0·11 mgrm. of arsenic, can be distinctly observed, but the maximum
effect is usually produced by about 1 to 3 c.c., the concentration
being therefore 0·015 to 0·045 molar. Greater concentrations than
this produce a less degree of acceleration accompanied by a shorter
duration of fermentation, as shown by the following numbers which
refer to 20 c.c. of yeast-juice in a total volume of 40 c.c.
containing 10 per cent. of glucose:--
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