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Oxidation of nitrite and hydroxylamine byAspergillus flavus, peroxidase and catalase

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Abstract

Nitrite is oxidized to nitrate by high concentrations of beef-liver catalase and byAspergillus flavus hyphal extracts. From 80 to 90 % of the nitrite-nitrogen is recovered as nitrate. The fungal enzyme is soluble and non-cytochrome-linked. It is distinct from the fungal catalase and apparently acts peroxidatively.

Hydroxylamine is metabolized by high concentrations of catalase, and about half of the hydroxylamine which disappears is recovered as nitrate. Horseradish peroxidase catalyzes the formation of nitrate in the presence of hydroxylamine, apparently by oxidizing a product of the spontaneous decomposition of the nitrogen compound.A. flavus extracts do not oxidize hydroxylamine.

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Author notes

  1. J. A. E. Molina

    Present address: Institut Agronomique Hassan II, Rabat-Agdal, Morocco

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, 14850, Ithaca, New York, USA

    J. A. E. Molina & M. Alexander

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  1. J. A. E. Molina
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  2. M. Alexander
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Additional information

This investigation was supported by National Science Foundation grant GB4724.

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Molina, J.A.E., Alexander, M. Oxidation of nitrite and hydroxylamine byAspergillus flavus, peroxidase and catalase. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 38, 505–512 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02328117

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02328117

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