Abstract
1. β-Mercaptopyruvic acid is decomposed by an enzyme prepared from E. coll.
2. Products of this reaction are pyruvic acid and elemental sulfur. But in the case of reaction with intact cell β-mercaptopyruvic acid is further decomposed to carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
3. This enzyme is stable against heat in crude state. However, in pure state this thermal stability is lost.
4. The probability of this compound to be in the metabolic path of cysteine is discussed.
