Open AccessThe reduction of methylene blue by iron compounds
Author(s) -
Edward J. Morgan,
J. H. Quastel
Publication year - 1923
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series b, containing papers of a biological character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9185
pISSN - 0950-1193
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.1923.0023
Subject(s) - reagent , ferrous , chemistry , formaldehyde , boiling , methylene blue , aqueous solution , aldehyde , hypoxanthine , ferrous sulphate , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , enzyme , photocatalysis
Among the many papers dealing with the Schardinger (1902) reaction in milk, is one in which Römèr and Sames (1910) have shown that if a small quantity of a freshly prepared 1 per cent. ferrous sulphate solution be added to boiled milk the mixture will then reduce the formaldehyde-methylene blue reagent of Schardinger. They also found that this reagent was not reduced by ferrous sulphate in aqueous solution, and if milk, to which had been added a small quantity of ferrous sulphate solution, was boiled for 30 minutes with an occasional shaking with air, the reaction was negative. Morgan, Stewart and Hopkins (1922) have shown that hypoxanthine and xanthine can take the place of an aldehyde in the Schardinger reaction; the two bases being oxidised to uric acid. Since the enzymes which work with the aldehydes and the purin bases are destroyed by boiling, it seems likely that if the power to reduce Schardinger’s reagent can be restored by the addition of a little ferrous sulphate solution to the boiled milk, then an investigation of therôle the iron is playing will possibly throw some light upon the mechanism of the reaction.