A standard formula for the determination of the initial rate of hydrolysis of carboxymethylcellulose

Abstract
The integrated rate equation of Huang, originally used to describe the hydrolysis of insoluble acid treated cellulose, is shown equally applicable in describing the hydrolysis of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) using a dilution series of Cellulomonas sp. ATCC 21399 crude cellulase as enzyme preparation. Interpretation of the progress curves of hydrolysis of CMC according to the integrated rate equation is used to calculate a standard formula for the conversion of the rate of hydrolysis into the initial velocity of hydrolysis. The validity of the standard formula is tested, using enzyme preparations from Cellulomonas grown under varied conditions, and enzyme preparations containing purified endoglucanases from Cellulomonas.