492 



EFFECT OF ENZYME ON DIGESTION OF PROTEINS 



the changes in digestion are followed by means of the increase in 

 amino nitrogen, which probably accurately follows the digestion, 

 equation (6) gives a constant value for K. 



Equation (6) is identical with that derived by Arrhenius^^ from the 

 action of ammonia on a great excess of ethyl acetate, and applied 

 by him to peptic digestion. Arrhenius, however, considered A as 

 representing the concentration of ammonia (which would correspond 

 to the concentration of pepsin in these experiments) . In other words 



100 







1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 



VT 



Fig. 5. Curves showing rate of digestion of egg albumin (c/. Table VII). 



iA—x) 

 the entire term in Arrhenius' equation represents the am- 



X 



monia (or enzyme) concentration while the substrate concentration 

 is considered to remain constant. It is clear from the derivation of 



E 

 the equation presented in this paper, however, that the term - rep- 

 resents the enzyme concentration, while A-x represents the substrate 

 concentration. The equation as applied to the hydrolysis of ethyl 



