[Synthesis of D-ribulose-1,5-diphosphate with immobilized enzymes of Thiobacillus]

Preparative synthesis of D-ribulose-1,5-diphosphate (RuDP) from ribose-5-phosphate and ATP was carried out, using as a catalyst a crude extract of Thiobacillus thiooxidans 58 R immobilized on porous glass. The methods for immobiliztion of crude bacterial extracts, synthesis of RuDP and purification of the resultant product by means of column chromatography on activated charcoal and anionites were developed. The structure of RuDP was identified by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Stability of two phosphate groups of RuDP during acid and alkaline hydrolysis proved to be different: both phosphate groups were completely removed in 1 N H2SO4 at 100 degrees C whereas only one phosphate group was hydrolysed in 1 N NaOH at 25 degrees C. This finding is at variance with the earlier results of Horecker et al. (1956).