Properties of two Clostridia strains acting as catalysts for the preparative stereospecific hydrogenation of 2-enoic acids and 2-alken-1-ols with hydrogen gas.

A Clostridium strain growing on crotonate/hydrogencarbonate, which is able to hydrogenate stereospecifically 2-enoates as well as other unsaturated compounds with hydrogen gas, has been isolated and methods for its propagation elucidated. For this strain and for Clostridium kluyveri DSM 555 grown on ethanol/acetate/hydrogencarbonate, samples of 200-l batches were assayed to determine the hydrogenation activity for (E)-2-methyl-2-butenoate and (E)-2-buten-1-ol as a function of time during the exponential and stationary growth phases. For the strain growing on crotonate/hydrogencarbonate, the hydrogenation rate as a function of substrate concentration, pH and temperature has been measured. Storage conditions for both strains are given.