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For anaerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Aerobacter aerogenes a values of 14.0 g/mole was found for Ymax/ATP and a value of 6.8 mmoles ATP/g dry weight/hr for the maintenance coefficient. Both values are much lower than those previously determined for tryptophan-limited anaerobic chemostat cultures. It is concluded that generally the largest part of the maintenance energy is not used for true maintenance processes. For aerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures two phases could be differentiated. Acetate production started at mu values higher than 0.53. The slopes of the curves relating the specific rates of glucose- and oxygen consumption with mu became higher and lower respectively above the mu value of 0.53. Using the YATP values obtained in the anaerobic experiment a P/O ratio of about 1.3 could be calculated for glucose- and tryptophan-limited chemostat cultures. In sulfate-limited chemostat cultures acetate was produced at all growth rates. At high growth rates also pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate were produced. With the YATP values obtained in the anaerobic experiment a P/O ratio of about 0.4 was calculated for sulfate-limited chemostat cultures.

For anaerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Escherichia coli a value of 8.5 was found for YmaxATP. For anaerobic glucose- or ammoniumlimited chemostat cultures of the ATPase-negative mutant M2-6 of E. coli YmaxATP values of 17.6 and 20.0 were found, respectively. From these data it can be concluded that in the wild type during anaerobic growth 51-58% of the total ATP production is used for energetization of the membrane. Using the YATP values obtained in the anaerobic experiments a P/O ratio of 1.46 could be calculated for aerobic experiments with the wild type. It is concluded that from the energy obtained by respiration in wild type E. coli about 60% is used for membrane energetization and only about 40% for the actual formation of ATP. No dramatic difference in the maintenance requirement for ATP or glucose has been observed between glucose- and ammonium-limited chemostat cultures of the mutant. The large difference in maintenance requirement observed for such cultures of the wild type is therefore supposed to be made possible by ATP hydrolysis by the ATPase.

Molar growth yields for anaerobic growth of Aerobacter aerogenes in complex medium were much higher than for growth in minimal medium. In batch cultures the molar growth yield for glucose varied from 44 to 50 and YATP from 17.1 to 18.8. For glucose-limited chemostat cultures a value of 17.5 g/mole was found for Y max ATP and a value of 2.3 mmoles ATP/g dry weight h for the maintenance coeficient. Growth-dependent pH changes were used to control the addition of fresh medium, containing excess of glucose to a continuous culture. The specific growth rate and the population density were dependent on the pH difference between the inflowing medium and the culture. At a mu value of 1.44 h-1 the molar growth yield for glucose was about 70 and Y ATP about 28.5. An equation is presented, which gives the relation between theoretical and experimental Y max ATP values.

The generation time of P. mirabilis in defined and in complex medium is shorter in the presence of hydrogen acceptors than in their absence. In the presence of hydrogen acceptors the molar growth yield for glucose and the acetate production are strongly increased. From the molar growth yield and the acetate production YATP in defined medium was calculated as 5.5 g/mole, whereas in complex medium a value of 12.6 g/mole was obtained. The molar growth yield, the acetate production, the amount of hydrogen acceptor reduced and YATP were used to calculate P/2e-ratios for phosphorylation coupled to electron transfer to oxygen, nitrate and tetrathionate as respectively 2.80; 1.48 and 1.23 in defined medium. Under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate or tetrathionate as hydrogen acceptor in complex medium a bend in the growth curve is observed. In the period of rapid growth the P/2e-ratio for nitrate reduction is of the same magnitude as that in defined medium, however much lower P/2e-ratios are found during the subsequent period of slow growth. The P/2e-ratios for tetrathionate reduction in complex medium for both growth periods are lower than those in defined medium. Most probably these results indicate that during this period growth and energy production are uncoupled. Under aerobic conditions in complex medium a constant Yo value of 32.2 g/atom O is found during a short period of the growth curve. Afterwards when the cell density increases a steady decrease of Yo is observed.

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