<i>Clostridium thermoaceticum</i>forms methanol from carbon monoxide in the presence of viologen dyes

Abstract

Whole cells of Clostridium thermoaceticum, crude extracts of such cells as well as the supernatant of 100 000 × g centrifugations catalyse the reduction of carbon monoxide to methanol in the presence of viologens or cobalt sepulchrate. Without such a mediator methanol could not be detected. The reaction shows a marked optimum at pH 5. The incubation of [5-14C]methyltetrahydrofolate led only to the formation of 14C-labeled ethanol; the radioactivity in methanol was negligible. The reaction seems to be catalysed by carbon monoxide dehydrogenase.