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Fatty acid spectra were made on Thiobacillus thiooxidans cultures both in the presence and absence of organic compounds. Small additions of glucose or acetate had no significant effect either on growth or fatty acid content. The addition of biotin had no stimulatory effect but did result in slight quantitative changes in the fatty acid spectrum. The predominant fatty acid was a C19 cyclopropane acid.

The fatty acid content of Thiobacillus novellus was determined under various cultural conditions. Four fatty acids, C:e0, C 18: o C 18: , and a C cyclopropane acid (C19:cyc), generally accounted for 90 to 99% of the total acids. Phosphate concentration, temperature, culture agitation, and the presence of branch-chain precursors had no significant effect on cellular fatty acids. Autotrophically grown cells contained more saturated C,, and C18 acids than did heterotrophic ones, and the sum of the percentages of the C 181 and the C i9 cyc acids was consistently higher in the heterotrophs. When the inorganic medium was supplemented with biotin, autotrophic cells produced more C,9:yC and