1916] REED—OXIDASE ACTION 55 
was laters confirmed and extended by separating an oxidase into 
two constituents, a peroxide-like substance which they called 
oxygenase, and a body capable of activating this peroxide, namely, 
a peroxidase. By treating the fresh juice of Lactarius vellereus 
with 40 per cent alcohol, a precipitate was obtained which (in 
watery solutions) exhibited the properties of a very weak oxidase. 
The filtrate, however, when taken alone showed no oxidative 
activity, but was capable of imparting great activity to either 
hydrogen peroxide or to the precipitate which contained the 
oxygenase. 
A considerable number of data indicate that all the so-called 
“direct oxidases” (that is, those which blue gum guaiac without 
the addition of hydrogen peroxide) consist of two such substances. 
Bacu® has shown that the peroxidase separated from tyrosinase 
will activate either its own oxygenase or hydrogen peroxide. The 
writer has also obtained similar results with an oxidase of the 
laccase type from potatoes by the following method. 
oF i Equal volumes of finely grated potato peelings and 55 per cent 
alcohol were mixed in a mortar, ground together until the potato 
was completely macerated, and then filtered. The filtrate was 
found to contain a peroxidase; while the residue, after washing 
with 55 per cent alcohol, extracting for several hours with an equal 
volume of water and finally filtering, gave an oxygenate solution, 
as the following experiments indicate. 
The oxidizing activity of each of these fractions on pyrogallol, 
acting separately or in conjunction, was determined by mixing 
them in the proportions indicated in table I. After 4 hours the 
TABLE I 
cc. horse- < +t is ag 
cc. 5 per cent cc. potato cc. potato radish t 
pyrogallol i S Fes wane re a Piss 
g oxygenase peroxidase peroxidase quired f 
FS each gay BO Neh cia vlad bale cua ae $e) 1.4 
sr RIG RR ah Fis 1 Io 0.3 
kde pes ein Giga a 10 10 0.8 
ES aie 10 NO ew 5.2 
AE Dea Been ao DS Rie eateal aie oeee age cee ge Sarna hae 6.4 
EM rcs 
5 Ber. Deutsch. Chem. Gesells. 36:600-605. 1903. 
° Ber. Deutsch. Chem. Gesells. 39:2126-2129, 3329-3331. 1906. : 
