A detector system for oxalic acid based on the determination of carbon dioxide as methane after degradation of oxalate with glass-bound oxalate decarboxylase

Abstract

A system for the determination of oxalate with glass-bound oxalate decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.2) is described. The sample is pumped through an enzyme reactor and the carbon dioxide which is generated is dialyzed through a porous teflon membrane, methanated and detected with a flame ionization detector. The optimum gas flows for the detector and optimum temperature for methanation were estudied. The system was used for the determination of oxalate in a few vegetables. The precision for 1 μ mol l −1 oxalate was 1%.