THE THERMODYNAMICS OF GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI K-12 ON SUCCINIC ACID

Postulates are presented which may help to standardize the construction of equations representing heterotrophic catabolism and anabolism, and the subsequent use of these to calculate the thermodynamic changes accompanying the growth processes they represent. These postulates are applied to the growth of E.coli K-12 on one mol of succinic acid. The DELTA(r)G', DELTA(r)H', and DELTA(r)S' accompanying anabolism are calculated to be -4.16 kJ, 5.05 kJ, and 30.89 J/deg, respectively, indicating that these energy changes are quite small, and that those accompanying the growth process are due almost entirely to catabolism.