Culture of Algae and other Micro-organisms in Deuterium oxide

Abstract

THERE can be no doubt that algae forced to grow autotrophically in high concentrations of deuterium oxide are confronted with a difficult situation. Nevertheless, recent statements that moderate concentrations of deuterium oxide stop cell division in Chlorella ¹, that the growth of Chlorella is “extremely slow, sporadic and unpredictable”² at high concentrations of deuterium oxide, and that autotrophic growth of Chlorella is “inhibited completely in 90 per cent heavy water”³ must have only very limited validity. It is in fact entirely feasible to culture several species of algae autotrophically in 99.6 per cent deuterium oxide and at a growthrate such that they become a practical source of fully deuterated compounds⁴.