Talk:Acetogenesis

Reduction of organic acids

@Ninjatacoshell: Hello. A few years ago in this edit you said that acetogenesis can refer to the reduction of organic acids to acetate, by anaerobic bacterial fermentation. I don't see what you're referring to. Can you give an example and a reference? It seems to me that making acetic acid out of other acids would involve oxidation, not reduction (unless the starting point is oxalic acid!). And I'm sceptical that the term "acetogenesis" is used for that. Please Ping me when you reply. Eric Kvaalen (talk) 07:57, 30 November 2024 (UTC)

@Eric Kvaalen: You are correct. It is oxidation, not reduction. I'm not even sure how I made that mistake in the first place. Anyway, when acetogens are grown autotrophically, they only produce acetate by reduction of carbon dioxide. But when they are grown heterotrophically, they can produce additional acetate through the oxidation of carbohydrates, organic acids, or alcohols. (The Schuchmann & Müller article is a good review.) I've gone ahead and corrected and clarified the statement in the article. Thanks for catching that mistake and bringing it to my attention. Ninjatacoshell (talk) 18:04, 5 December 2024 (UTC)

All right, thanks. I think you did a good job editing the article. Eric Kvaalen (talk) 07:21, 6 December 2024 (UTC)