A comparative study of oxidation by catalysts of organic and inorganic origin

Abstract

The present paper is the outcome of the work carried out on the influence of poisoning on apples and potatoes, and its progress has necessitated a general revision of the oxidase ferments, and in particular a general comparison with metallic oxidases. As is well known, oxidases are widely distributed in plants, and are frequently responsible for the changes of colour in extracted plant juices or in plant tissues after death. In the case of the apple and potato, the curious fact that browning took place in pulp killed by immersion in poisonous metallic solutions, but not when killed by heat, demanded special investigation.