MECHANISM OF PROCESS OF DEATH 69 



* 



single substance decomposes) but for reactions of 

 higher orders (where two or more substances combine) 

 as well as for consecutive reactions 43 and autocatalysis- 44 

 It follows that when a chemical process proceeds at 

 different rates under different conditions, we can com- 

 pare the velocity constants by simply taking the recip- 

 rocals of the times required to bring the reaction to the 

 same stage, so that if we wish to know merely the relative 



x^ 



\ 



D 



40 80 MIN. 



FIQ. 30. Curve A represents a process which proceeds at twice the velocity of B. The 

 abscisses of B are everywhere double those of A, but no such relation holds for the ordinates. 

 C is obtained by averaging the abscissse of A and B; D is obtained by averaging their ordinates. 



rates (as is usually the case in biology) it is not necessary 

 to determine the actual velocity constants at all. 



Whenever the initial conditions are the same with 

 respect to concentration we need only compare the times 

 required for equal amounts of work, since these bring 

 the reaction to the same stage. If, on the other hand, one 

 attempts to arrive at the relative rate by comparing the 

 amounts of work performed in equal times (as is fre- 

 quently done in biological research) he can easily fall 



48 The principle holds for consecutive reactions in case all the constants 

 are multiplied by the same factor, otherwise not. Cf. Osterhout (1917, E). 

 44 Cf. Mellor (1909) p. 291. 



