Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Bacteria eating citric acid

Romix - 27-7-2015 at 07:27

I found mold inside bottle with dissolved citric acid, bottle were closed. It don't need air to grow.

Same mold were found in beaker with citric acid and copper complex on air.

You know what it is? Is it visible under microscope?

blogfast25 - 27-7-2015 at 07:38

Aqueous citric acid is an excellent bacteria nutrient. Why don't you have a look yourself?

[Edited on 27-7-2015 by blogfast25]

aga - 27-7-2015 at 08:27

I once cut open a chilli pepper that i knew was so hot that it bordered on being classified as a chemical weapon, and inside was a small caterpillar munching away happily.

Life fills every single niche it can find.

The Volatile Chemist - 27-7-2015 at 12:30

Mold isn't exactly a bacterium, but mold can grow in a solution containing solely sodium carbonate for a while, so it's not too big of a deal. Nonetheless, popping it under a microscope and staining it with Tincture of iodine could be interesting. I think Iodine stains molds, it stains yeast at least.

crazyboy - 27-7-2015 at 12:37

Quote: Originally posted by aga  
I once cut open a chilli pepper that i knew was so hot that it bordered on being classified as a chemical weapon, and inside was a small caterpillar munching away happily.

Life fills every single niche it can find.


I don't find that particularly surprising aga, capsaicin is not particularly toxic and only mammals have the TRPV1 receptor which responds to capsaicin.

I do find it surprising that bacteria could live on pure citirc acid not only because of the pH but because citric acid doesn't contain phosphorous or nitrogen both of which are required for DNA and proteins.

The Volatile Chemist - 27-7-2015 at 12:39

Quote: Originally posted by crazyboy  
Quote: Originally posted by aga  
I once cut open a chilli pepper that i knew was so hot that it bordered on being classified as a chemical weapon, and inside was a small caterpillar munching away happily.

Life fills every single niche it can find.


I do find it surprising that bacteria could live on pure citirc acid not only because of the pH but because citric acid doesn't contain phosphorous or nitrogen both of which are required for DNA and proteins.

You forget, yeast can 'live' on pure sugar, for a while. Live just means 'not die' in this case, not 'sustain themselves indefinitely'. Eventually they'd need phosphorus, nitrogen, maybe more for some enzymes. But not for a little while.

aga - 27-7-2015 at 13:41

Quote: Originally posted by crazyboy  
only mammals have the TRPV1 receptor which responds to capsaicin.

What !

They evolved to specifically hurt us and create Chilli con Carne !

Those plants can be quite nasty.

Tsjerk - 27-7-2015 at 14:39

Actually they did haha, they don't like to be eaten by mammals because they usually chew the seeds to a pulp. Birds are a way nicer mean of transportation, no jaws chewing your precious babies and a nice pile of personal manure miles and miles away for them to grow in.

mayko - 27-7-2015 at 14:43

The evolution of citrate metabolism has been observed in long-term evolutions experiments with E. coli

The Volatile Chemist - 29-7-2015 at 09:26

That's interesting. I'd like to have a sample of a yeast or bacterium which had a lot of different digestion pathways, though that isn't common, is it.
Quote:
nicer mean of transportation

nicer mean, an interesting oxymoron...

Tsjerk - 29-7-2015 at 13:04

Quote: Originally posted by The Volatile Chemist  


nicer mean, an interesting oxymoron...


Shit, never try to speak English after more than a couple of beers... Sounds strange to use "plural" for a singular way of transportation.

kecskesajt - 19-8-2015 at 23:59

When I made crimson powder,I ended up with a diluted solution of KNO3/ascorbic acid.After 2 weeks,it made a big pile of mould.

Ozone - 20-8-2015 at 16:52

Oh, microbes, especially fungi, are incredibly versatile and opportunistic. I've seen white, fluffy colonies floating on cacodylate buffer, for frick's sake.

Algae (in this case, cyanobacteria) can be great, too. For example, 18 MO water for HPLC that clogs inlet frits...algae. Growing only on CO2 and whatever else can diffuse into the vessel. I had to keep the stuff at 80°C on a hot-plate to keep this from happening.

No matter how big and bad you are, the microbes always win in the end. Humanity the apex of evolution? My ass.

O3

The Volatile Chemist - 21-8-2015 at 12:27

LOL, too bad we weren't so small :P