> ==========
> bionet/microbiology #2377, from kafkwtz at ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU, 2399
chars, 19 Mar 1996 10:38:19 -0
> ----------
> Article: 3328 of bionet.microbiology
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> !kafkwtz
> From: kafkwtz at ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU (David Kafkewitz)
> Newsgroups: bionet.microbiology
> Subject: Carbon eaters
> Date: 19 Mar 1996 10:38:19 -0800
> Organization: BIOSCI International Newsgroups for Molecular Biology
> Lines: 29
> Sender: daemon at net.bio.net> Distribution: world
> Message-ID: <199603191835.NAA05427 at andromeda.rutgers.edu>
> NNTP-Posting-Host: net.bio.net
>> A week of so ago there was posted a question about whether there are
> bacteria that can grow by oxidizing elemental carbon. There have been
no
> responses to this interesting question. In the interest of stimulating
> discussion, I will take a shot at it.
> I know of no such bacteria and I doubt that it is possible. The
oxidation of
> C to carbon dioxide should have more than enough energy to support
growth.
> There are many bacteria that grow by oxidizing carbon monoxide to
carbon
> dioxide. Oxidation of carbon atoms with a valence state of zero
should be
> more exergonic than CO. The problem, I think is, activation energy.
> Elemental carbon does not exist as single atoms or small groups of
atoms.
> Carbon exists as sheets (graphite) or crystals (diamond) which are
> exceedingly stable. There are also exceedingly insoluble, which I
assume is
> related to the stability. Stability means much energy was given up
when the
> structure was formed, and thererfore must be added back to crack into
the
> structure. My guess is that it is not possible (probable ?) for this
> amount of activation energy to be added by a biological system.
Nitrogen
> fixation is another example along these lines. If I rememeber
correctly the
> reduction of dinitrogen by hydrogen is actually exergonic; yet
biological N
> fixation has an enormous energy requirement. The triply bonded N atoms
are
> so close to each other and the electron density is so high that much
energy
> has to be added to get into these bonds. Activation is costly but
possible
> for nitrogen, but probably too costly for carbon.
>> That's my best guess. Somone correct me if i've got it all wrong.
> David Kafkewitz, Department of Biological Sciences,
> Rutgers University, Newark N.J. 07102, U.S.A.
> 201 648 5865; fax: 201 648 1007
>kafkwtz at andromeda.rutgers.edu>Hi,
Looks a pretty good try to me. Sulphur is also a problem in elemental
form but the clever little S oxidisers have sussed the need to get S
into solution (and hence into the cell) by using lipids. If someone can
suggest an elemental (charcoal) C material into solution then we can
look for an organism with that ability. Anyone know a solvent for
elemental C ?
Peter Harris,
reading Univ. UK.
