Hæmocyanin in Heavy Water

Abstract

INFORMATION concerning the influence of heavy water on proteins is of interest from both a physiological and a physico-chemical point of view. One is inclined to assume that the observed effect of heavy water on living cells is to some extent due to a change in the protein molecules of the protoplasm. On the basis of the physico-chemical sensitivity of the protein molecule to changes in the environment, one is led to suspect that the replacement of ordinary water by heavy water as a solvent might cause dissociation or association of the molecules. The easiest and most direct way to detect effects of this kind is to submit the protein solutions to an ultra-centrifugal study.