Carbohydrate Metabolism-Mutants of a Bacillus Species

During the course of studies on the effects of mutation in carbohydrate metabolism on the synthesis of purine derivatives, it was found that three mutants of a Bacillus species, which lacked transketolase or d-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase, accumulated a large amount of d-ribose in the culture medium. The amount of d-ribose was about 35 mg per ml of the broth incubated for 6 days. d-Ribose in the broth was purified in crystalline form and was identified from its chemical and physical properties.