Abstract
Summary
The differential microcalorimeter was found to be suitable for the study of the heat produced by reactions between antigens and antibodies. Approximate values, which cannot be given definite quantitative meaning because of the nature of the crude solutions which must be employed, were obtained for the first time as follows:
The heat produced by the combination between 1 unit of diphtheria antitoxin and its equivalent Lf amount of diphtheria toxin was found to be 0.0645 gram-calories.
The reaction between dead typhoid bacilli and their specific agglutinin was also exothermic. Heat is produced during this reaction in two periods; the first corresponding to the phase of the union of the antigen with the antibody, the second to the clumping and flocculation of the bacteria.
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