[Characterisation of D(-)glyceric acid from Nocardia caviae (author's transl)]

A glycolipid was found in a strain of Nocardia caviae. It consists of glucose, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids and a polyhydroxylated acid. The structure of this hydroxyacid was demonstrated by the identification of the product glycerol after LiA1H4 reduction of the glycolipid methyl ester and subsequent hydrolysis, by comparison of the infrared spectra of the hydroxyacid and glyceric acid, by gas chromatography of acetylated methyl and ethyl esters of the polyhydroxylated acid and of standard glyceric acid and by mass spectrometry of the diacetylated methyl ester. The hydroxyacid from the glycolipid is D(-)glyceric acid, a compound rarely found amongst natural products.