Oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes by induced enzymes produced from hydrocarbon-utilizing micro-organisms whereby aldehydes and acids are produced

Claim 1

METHOD OF ENZYMICALLY OXIDIZING A CARBON COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALCOHOLS AND ALDEHYDES TO AN OXIDIZED PRODUCT HAVING THE SAME NUMBER OF CARBONS SAID OXIDIZING REACTION REQUIREING THE PRESENCE OF OXIDIZED COFACTOR CPN+, WHICH COMPRISES GROWING CELLS OF A HYDROCARBON-OXIDIZING MICROORGANISM ON A NUTRIENT MEDIUM USING AS THE SOLE SOURCE OF CARBON A HYDROCARBON HAVING SUBSTNTIALLY THE SAME NUMBER OF CARBONS AS SAID CARBON COMPOUND, HARVESTING THE CELLS AND RUPTURING THE SAME, EXTRACTING FROM THE RUPTURED CELLS ENZYMES WHOSE PRODUCTION BY THE CELLS WAS INDUCED BY GROWING THE LATTER ON SAID HYDROCARBON, ISOLATING FROM SAID ENZYME EXTRACT AN ENZYME HAVING SPECIFICITY FOR SAID CARBON COMPOUND AND MIXING THE SAME WITH SAID CARBON COMPOUND, ADDING TO THE RESULTING MIXTURE A CRUDE DPN+-CONTAINING, CPNH OXIDASE-CONTAINIG ENZYME EXTRACT OBTAINED FROM NON-INDUCED CELLS GROWN ON A NONHYDROCARBON CARBON -CONTAINING SUBSTRATE AS THE SOLE SOURCE OF CARBON, INCUBATING SAID MIXTURE TO ENZYMICALLY OXIDIZE THE CARBON COMPOUND TO SAID PRODUCT AND COINCIDENTLY THEREWITH TO REDUCE SAID DPN+ COFACTOR TO REDUCED COFACTOR DPNH, AND SAID DPNH OXIDASE ACTING TO REGENERATE DPN+ FROM DPNH AND THEREBY TO HELP MAINTAIN STOICHIOMETRICAL AMOUNTS OF DPN+ IN SAID MIXTURE.