Hexose Phosphates and Alcoholic Fermentation

The participation of phosphoric acid in alcoholic fermentation and in the biological utilization of carbohydrates in general, is one of the most important discoveries made in connection with the study of these systems. Numerous attempts have been made to correlate this discovery with the many observations regarding the carbohydrate-phosphates which are formed in such biologic processes, but opinions are divergent as to the mechanism of the changes. Harden and Young1 have emphasized the importance of the hexose diphosphate in fermentation while von Euler,2 Meyerhof,3 and Kluyver and Struyk4 regard the formation of phosphoric esters of hexoses as a first step in the utilization of the carbohydrates; one of us5 has also expressed this same opinion. Neuberg,‘j on the other hand, seems inclined to believe that the formation of phosphoric esters is only an incidental reaction and of little significance. To the view that phospho-esters are intermediate products, there is the immediate objection that no known phospho-ester is