Studies in the biochemistry of micro-organisms

IN the course of the studies reported in Part XXIV of this series amounts of mycelia from the growth on synthetic media of 15 species and strains in the P. brevi-compactum series were accumulated, and in view of the close biochemical relationship of 14 of these organisms as regards their water-soluble metabolic products (see Part XXIV) it became a matter of some interest to investigate their myceial constituents in order to discover whether this biochemical relationship is of even wider scope. The mycelium of the type species P. brevi-compactum Dierckx (Cat. No. P 75) was first investigated, the method being to extract the dried and powdered mycelium with a succession of solvents, viz. light petroleum followed by ether, then by acetone and finally by methyl alcohol. This paper is concerned only with the mycelial fat, i.e. the material extracted from the mycelium by hot light petroleum, B.P. 50-60.