CHEMICAL PHENOMENA IN LIFE 



tyrosin oxidising enzyme of plant cells was 

 found to follow the law of monomolecular re- 

 actions. Even if we do not yet possess clear 

 knowledge about other important enzyme re- 

 actions, these results are most remarkable. Hope 

 is given us that some more enzyme reactions are 

 quite identical in their mechanism with catalytic 

 monomolecular reactions. Since we have seen 

 that Schutz' Rule can be simply explained, and is 

 by no means peculiar to enzyme reactions, we 

 believe that it is very probable that enzymes are 

 nothing else but organic catalytic substances 

 without any peculiar property. Complications, 

 it is true, are frequently produced by the colloidal 

 properties of enzymes, which cause the great 

 instability of the enzymes. In most cases the 

 quantity of the enzyme is diminished at the end 

 of the reaction because of the destruction of a 

 certain amount of enzyme in other reactions 

 which occur besides the main reaction. It is 

 easily understood that this must lead to important 

 differences from the law of monomolecular re- 

 actions. 



Finally we have to touch on the question of the 

 specific character of the different enzymes. A 

 priori we do not know whether one and the same 

 enzyme cannot catalyse different reactions. But 

 many reasons can be given for the supposition 

 that by far the greater number of the enzymes 

 act upon only one substance. Although most 

 no 



