INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE 55 



Egg-white by sulphuric acid 



,, precipitin from rabbits 



Agglutination of coli-bacilli 



typhoid-bacilli 



5) 



25,000 



Different Processes. 



Hydrolysis of cane-sugar by acids 



,, ,, invertase . 



,, starch by amylase 



Destruction of H 9 2 by catalase 

 Alcoholic fermentation by yeast-cells 

 Haemolysis (by bases, acids, lysins) 

 Assimilation by plants . 

 Respiration by plants . 

 Cell-division in eggs (mean value) 

 Heart-beats of pacific terrapin . 

 Haemolysis by means of hot water 

 Bacteriolysis (B. typhosics) in hot water 

 „ (B. paratyphosus) in phenol 



From the tabulated values of /j, we may conclude 

 that fi is in general greater for spontaneous decom- 

 positions, among which we may reckon the coagula- 

 tions by heat, than for processes in which a substance 

 acts on another catalytically. The value of ^ for 

 dry emulsin lies also much below that which holds 

 for solutions of this enzyme. This behaviour is 

 probably general. Very remarkable also is the 

 fact that different vital processes, alcoholic fermenta- 

 tion by means of yeast, assimilation and respiration 

 of plants, cell-division in eggs and the heart-beats 

 of a tortoise possess very nearly the same value of 

 /x, namely between 12,000 and 16,000, which is of 

 the same order of magnitude as the corresponding 

 values for the hydrolysis of cane-sugar by invertase, 

 or of starch by amylase, or the saponification of 

 ethyl acetate by bases, or of triacetin by powdered 



