On the Mechanism of Enzyme Action.* Ii. Further Evidence Confirming the Observations That Ethylene Increases the Permeability of Cells and Acts as a Protector. by F. F. Nord

Lavoisier (1) first pointed out that during the decomposition of the sugar molecule in the course of alcoholic fermentation, the molecule not only splits in two parts to form alcohol and carbon dioxide, but he also clearly indicated that alcoholic fermentation involves the phenomena of reduction and oxidation. Later workers have shown that the phenomenon of fermentation is not a simple process but one involving the presence of a number of intermediate products which may well differ in ease of fermentability. Indeed it seems probable that the generally accepted chemical formula for certain of these intermediate products does not express the true state of the reactive substances but that an intermediate “transportation form” (2) may well be the reactive material. One of us (Nord (3))’ has presented elsewhere a critical review of the current theories. Doubts concerning the exact mechanism of enzyme action (4) and the question as to whether intermediate products are acted upon under “biological” or “unphysiological” conditions (5), as well as the question as to whether the so called activators of enzymes really increase enzyme activity or whether they simply protect and prevent