Low-temperature kinetics of the reaction of oxygen and solubilized cytochrome oxidase.

The reaction of solubilized cytochrome oxidase in the fully reduced state with O2 at low temperatures reveals components with characteristics similar to those observed with the membrane-bound oxidase, namely compounds A and B, which are proposed to be 'oxy' and 'peroxy' compounds respectively. Similar species are identified in both solubilized and membrane-bound oxidases; the reaction velocity constant for the reation with O2 and the dissociation constant are decreased 2-3-fold in the solubilied preparation as compared with the membrane-bound species, owing to decreased reactivity towards O2 in the former. The oxidase prepared in the mixed-valence state shows the distinctive absorption band characteristic of compound C, identified in the membrane-bound oxidase. The assignment of the alpha, beta, gamma and near-i.r. absorption bands to possible valence states of these compounds is made.