The action of hypochlorites on amino-acids and proteins. The effect of acidity and alkalinity

Abstract

IN a previous paper [Wright, 1926] the author recorded the results obtained in a study of the rate of reaction between solutions of sodium hypochlorite and certain amino-acids and proteins. It was suggested that the rate of utilisation of the available chlorine was govemed by at least two factors: (1) the possibility of the hypochlorite acting either as an oxidizing or as a chlorinating agent, and (2) the variable stability of the chloroamino-derivatives formed by the latter reaction. Brief reference was made in the paper to the very marked effect of alterations in the acidity of the solutions, alterations which changed completely the type of reaction curve obtained. Subsequently a number of experiments were carried out to determine more exactly the effect of varying pH values on the rate of reaction. The results of this additional work were not, however, published.