Quantitative laws in biological chemistry / by Svante Arrhenius.

  • Arrhenius, Svante, 1859-1927.
Date:
1915
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Quantitative laws in biological chemistry / by Svante Arrhenius. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of this formula is a straight line (Fig. i). Here a is the value of y, when x — o, i.e. the distance of the point, in which the straight line cuts the axis of ordinates, from the axis of abscissae—in Fig. i a - 1-5. If we put #= 1, then y = a + b, i.e. b is the distance of the point in which the straight line y — a + bx cuts a vertical line x — 1 going through the point 1 of the a:-axis, from a horizontal line y = a running at a distance a above the a;-axis. In Fig. 1, ^ = 0*5. But in most cases this very simple formula does not represent the phenomenon which we wish to describe. For instance, if a substance such as sulphuric acid acts upon cane-sugar, this is trans- formed into glucose and fructose in such a manner that if we call the initial quantity of sugar 100, then after a certain time t (say, one hour) only the quantity 80 remains unchanged ; after the time 21 (2 hours)