CHEMICAL PHENOMENA IN LIFE 



microbes cannot act otherwise but by production 

 of substances which must be regarded as Soluble 

 Ferments. Consequently the name of Enzymes 

 was introduced for soluble ferments. We know 

 that all enzymatic processes depend upon the 

 production of such substances. All the processes 

 which were formerly believed to be exclusively 

 connected with living protoplasm are due to 

 substances of the group of Enzymes. 



In this direction, particularly the discovery of 

 Edward Buchner, of Wiirzburg, then in Munich, 

 was of the greatest importance. It was shown 

 in 1894 that the power of fermenting sugar in yeast 

 is by no means inseparably connected with cell-life. 

 When yeast is carefully ground down, so that 

 every cell is sure to be cut through or squeezed, 

 and afterwards the paste is pressed by means of a 

 powerful hydraulic press, a yellowish liquid is 

 obtained which still possesses the full property 

 of forming alcohol and carbon dioxide from grape 

 sugar. Buchner succeeded by nitration in freeing 

 this liquid from every trace of living cells or their 

 fragments, so that there could not be any doubt 

 that no living protoplasm was present. Further, 

 he demonstrated that the alcohol- forming agent 

 was soluble in water, precipitable by alcohol, and 

 very easily destroyed by heat. So alcoholic 

 fermentation was separated from yeast-life and 

 the perspective was opened, that many other 

 processes of decomposition or disintegration of 

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