Abstract
THE intense bactericidal activity of cyclotelluropentane-3: 5-dione (I) and some of its homologues was reported by Morgan and his collaborators1–4. This property is shared only to a limited extent by other tellurium compounds; it is not due to the lability of tellurium in this ring, since conversion of (I) into its equally labile dioxime causes a marked drop in bactericidal power (see table). The theory of substrate competition5 provides a rational explanation of the activity of this group of compounds. The formula of one of the highly active members, 2: 4-dimethyl-cyclotelluropentane-3: 5-dione (II), bears a striking resemblance to that of pyridoxine (III), which is known to be a growth-factor for many species of micro-organisms6–8, and it seems to us possible that the relation between the two substances may be similar to that between p-amino-benzoic acid and sulphanilanaide9,10.
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